


The Cherry Trees

by ovidius_naso



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Dom/sub, F/M, Mating Bond, Past Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2018-10-07 14:07:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 28
Words: 120,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10362150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ovidius_naso/pseuds/ovidius_naso
Summary: "As soon as she met his black eyes, she knew she had been waiting for him her entire life."





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> "You are here. Oh, you do not run away.  
> You will answer me to the last cry.  
> Cling to me as though you were frightened.  
> Even so, at one time a strange shadow ran through your eyes.
> 
> Now, now too, little one, you bring me honeysuckle,  
> and even your breasts smell of it.  
> While the sad wind goes slaughtering butterflies  
> I love you, and my happiness bites the plum of your mouth.
> 
> How you must have suffered getting accustomed to me,  
> my savage, solitary soul, my name that sends them all running.  
> So many times we have seen the morning star burn, kissing our eyes,  
> and over our heads the gray light unwind in turning fans.
> 
> My words rained over you, stroking you.  
> A long time I have loved the sunned mother-of-pearl of your body.  
> I go so far as to think that you own the universe.  
> I will bring you happy flowers from the mountains, bluebells,  
> dark hazels, and rustic baskets of kisses.
> 
> I want  
> to do with you what spring does with the cherry trees."
> 
> -Pablo Neruda, Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair
> 
>   
> AN: This story will contain large amounts of fluff with an eventual HEA, however it also deals with difficult themes, including domestic violence, sexual assault, recovery, and character death, which will cause quite a bit of angst before we get to the HEA. There won't be explicit scenes of violence but be warned if you know these things trigger you. It also has a bit of a slow start because my OC is initially in pretty rough shape but there is a hot Greek man making it worth the wait. 
> 
> The Marcus in my story was changed in his late 20's, rather than the old guy in the movie. The Volturi don't have papery skin or milky eyes because I don't find the thought of that attractive, however they will be slightly different from your average vampire…
> 
> A lot of the plot is inspired by other stories I have read, as well as from the Twilight saga itself, since that's just how the story played out in my head. I don't mean any copyright infringement and I am not making any money off of this.
> 
> This story is also posted on ffn but I'm posting it here in case it's deleted.

As she lay in a puddle of her own blood, she knew she was dying. How many times before had she been covered in blood, both her own and that of others? She had lost count. But this time was different. She could tell by the coldness settling deeply inside of her while her warmth leaked out through the wounds covering her body. This was the end. She didn't know she even had the capacity to feel anything anymore, but suddenly she was awash in ambivalence.

Her suffering would finally be over. Years and years of suffering she had endured and wished for any sort of reprieve from and now it was granted. But at the same time, it felt so wrong that it should end like this with such pain. Should there not have been more beauty? More love? She had seen the world, had tasted it, smelled it, loved it, and she had been so sure that there was goodness left in it - that perhaps there was something better destined for her. She felt it in her heart, and had been so sure of it.

It was a hope she had kept harbored deep inside of her, only drawing upon it when she was most desperate. It was a dangerous hope, capable of ripping away everything she had carefully preserved. But it was hers. The last part of her no one had been able to steal or defile.

Her lungs were rattling with every breath from the pneumonia that had set in days ago. She was certain a few ribs were broken as well, and almost certainly a fractured skull and leg… and this was how she would die. This was the grand finale her entire life had led up to. It was almost anticlimactic, really – she had avoided being shot numerous times, lived in war torn countries, surrounded herself with infectious diseases and poverty, lost her entire family, endured too many injuries inflicted on her to remember – many of which were worse than this. She had survived it all. But this was the end… a few well placed fists and a quick trip down the stairs.

She heard the door to the apartment swing open and slam against the wall but couldn't bring herself to care. If he was back, she was already too far gone. It was too late; there was no saving her now, and any more pain inflicted on her would be fleeting. Her vision was already fading around the edges and the last thing she saw before it all went dark was an angel crouching above her and cradling her face between two large hands. As soon as she met his black eyes, she knew she had been waiting for him her entire life.

* * *

He had been travelling with Felix and Demitri down a side street of Rome at twilight, having finished conducting a business meeting, when he smelled it. In all his years, he could not recall feeling such a thing before. It was immediate, visceral, and somehow even more compelling than the blood lust he remembered in his newborn years.

And yet, rather than craving destruction and satiation, the scent of her blood cause him to need to find and protect her – this female, his mate, whoever she was - at all costs. He was compelled toward her like a magnet, helpless against the poles of the earth that drew upon the very essence of his being.

He saw a bond spring from her and imbed itself in him as firmly as he saw in the mate bonds between his brothers and sisters, although at the time he paid no mind to it. He didn't have time to examine it as he otherwise would have done. He was too focused on the rage and terror the scent of her blood had sparked in him, and the indescribable draw compelling him towards her. He followed it mindlessly. Looking back, he could not recall how he had even found the building she was in. But it took him mere fractions of seconds to find the emergency stairwell and race up the floors to the top floor where he could smell her scent the strongest.

The scent of her anguish and suffering permeated the hall outside the lone apartment on the penthouse floor. He forced the door open and was suddenly standing in front of her. She was lying in a puddle of her own blood in front of a staircase which she had obviously fallen down from the blood smeared on the stairs and wall. Her beauty momentarily dazed him as they locked eyes but then, too soon, they fluttered closed and the terror once again ripped through his chest. He had to save her. He heard Felix and Demitri behind him and snarled at them in warning, acting entirely on instincts and not wanting either of them near his fragile mate. They stopped where they were immediately, moving slowly toward the door.

"Master," he heard one say hesitantly, although he did not bother to notice which one. "Who is she?"

He snarled again in aggravation and ignored the question before carefully picking up his unconscious mate. "Send for my brothers immediately."

* * *

"Explain the meaning of this," Caius growled lowly while staring at the human in his brother's bed. She was covered in bruises and attached to many machines monitoring every paltry human function. A blood transfusion and other fluids attached to one fragile vein, making his nose wrinkle in disgust.

"Calmly, brother," Aro chided and held out his hand toward the brother who was still drenched in the blood of the human and standing at her bedside, looking awestruck. "Marcus, may I?"

Marcus obligingly held out his hand toward Aro, not bothering to break eye contact with the female in front of him. A few moments later a grin overtook Aro's face in response to what he saw.

"Why, this is marvelous! After all this time, you have finally found your mate!"

Caius gaped at both of them. "Surely you are joking!"

"Not at all, Caius. This human is my mate. I am certain of it," Marcus responded with a weight in his voice, the likes of which none had heard from him in millennia. He had been stagnant and unmoved for so long, none of them quite new how to respond.

"This is excellent news! It calls for a celebration," Aro clapped his hands together in delight. Despite her state of unconsciousness, the girl in the bed whimpered and flinched in on herself in response to the sudden loud noise. She was prevented from turning on her side the way she seemed to want to do by the machines she was attached to and the bulky cast on one leg.

Marcus snapped his head back to his brother and snarled at him, making her flinch once again. "Be quiet! Do not disturb her."

At the sound of his raised voice, she seemed to relax, turning her face toward him, as if unconsciously seeking him out. Both Caius and Aro watched, speculating, as their brother shifted closer to her in response, hesitantly seeking out her hand. She calmed even further at his touch, once again falling back into a peaceful, undisturbed slumber.

"My apologies, brother. I did not mean any harm."

He did not respond, and Aro continued.

"I wonder whether you would permit me to take her hand," he asked cautiously. Marcus growled quietly in response, acting entirely on his natural impulses which insisted he defend her.

"You may ask her when she wakes. After I have explained everything to her."

Aro nodded in understanding. Although Marcus knew he was disappointed, he also knew he would respect his request.

"Of course. Have you any idea how you will tell her? Humans these days do not believe in the supernatural anymore. She may not take to the news well."

Marcus frowned, staring at her face. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he did not want to frighten or upset her. He shook his head slightly in response.

* * *

Anna awoke to warm, unfamiliar light and voices. She blinked blearily, trying to process where she was, but her thoughts were sluggish and slow. Wherever it was, it looked to be very old. Everything was dated, almost ancient - the room had oak paneling on the walls. The dark four-poster bed she was in was very large and had red velvet drapes surrounding it. And yet she was attached to an IV and ECG machine and had a cannula for oxygen in her nose. Her leg seemed to be in a cast and her ribs were bound tightly to prevent movement.

Before she could examine further, her attention was diverted to where she heard the voices coming from. There was a group of three men and two women standing near an ornate stone fireplace on the other end of the room, seemingly arguing about something. She could not make out what they were saying, other than a few words that took her mind a few moments to realize were Latin.

"Where am I?"

Her voice was hoarse and barely louder than a whisper from misuse, however they seemed to hear and understand her. Quicker than should be possible, they were suddenly grouped around her bedside. She could tell she must have sustained a head injury, as they also seemed to be almost glowing in the soft light and their features were exquisite.

A gasp was ripped from her throat as once again, quicker than her eyes could see, one of them knelt in front of her. It took her another moment to realize it was the angel she thought she had seen from before. His beauty and the graceful fluidity of his movements stunned her and she felt inexplicably drawn to him. She was sure if she hadn't been in bed with several broken bones she would've been reaching out to him, hardly able to resist his spell. Surely this creature could not be real…. she must be dead. But if she was dead, why did everything hurt so much? Before she could continue on this train of thought, he spoke. His voice was the smoothest, deepest, most calming thing she had ever heard, with a rich accent she couldn't place.

"You are in Volterra, dear one," he answered.

"What am I doing here?"

Her angel's face darkened and he started growling in response to the fear obvious in his mate's tone, a feral inhuman sound, and she felt a shiver of primal fear travel up her spine. But as soon as she felt it, suddenly he stopped and reached for her hand.

"Please, piccola. Do not fear. I will tell you all you need to know, but you need to sleep now. Rest and allow your body the rest it needs to heal from your injuries. We will talk when you awaken."

She wasn't sure whether it was his soothing voice or if the movement she saw out of the corner of her eye was someone fiddling with her IV, but she felt herself being pulled back into her slumber.

Marcus watched her eyes flutter back closed and wished desperately he could see them again. They were the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his entire existence. Surely they would awe mere humans, but he saw them for every minute perfection. His eyesight allowed him to see the yellow-gold flecks in the green, darker toward the outside and lighter toward her iris. They were a galaxy of colour and pattern and they almost completely distracted him from the distress he felt at seeing his mate so damaged and in such pain.

He had checked his bond sight and hers were all a mess, apart from the one connecting her to him. They all seemed to have been severed and healed badly, except for one that looked as if it were almost a noose around her, extending from another that was tinged with pain and hatred. The question pulled at him – what had happened to his little mate?

Caius kept quiet after the exchange he had witnessed. He could not deny that this human intrigued him. She seemed to have a great fortitude, barely flinching in their presence when her instincts should've told her to flee, however she was still human, which made him naturally averse. She was their natural food source, after all. Why had his brother not changed her by now? When he had found his mate she had been changed almost immediately, only pausing to bring her to a safe area for the days the change took, and she wasn't even nearly as damaged as this human was. He frowned.

Aro noticed both of his brother's different expressions and held his hand toward his Caius with a quirk of his eyebrow. When he took it and saw his thought processes, he nodded sagely. "You have a point, brother."

"What is it, my love," Sulpicia questioned, laying her hand on his arm.

"Caius is wondering why Marcus has not changed her yet, especially given her current state of injury."

"Nor will I do so until I have her permission," Marcus replied, almost sharply, assuring them of his feelings on the matter.

Aro understood this perspective as well; after all, he had not changed his Sulpicia until he had her permission either. It would be an invasion to do so without their consent. He understood that, however neither him nor Marcus were nearly as adverse toward humans as Caius was. He found himself endlessly intrigued by them, whereas Marcus was more indifferent.

"Marcus," Sulpicia addressed him softly. "If you are to wait, I would advise you to move more slowly, as to not frighten her with your strength. She will likely be frightened enough when learning of your nature. And speak softly to her, I fear your growling may have frightened her." she advised him. "You have not spent much time around humans in many years. It may take practice."

"Thank you for your advice, sister. You are correct, as always," he said with a twitch of his lips.

She smiled. "Anything for you, Marcus. I, too, remember the fear I felt as a human when faced with our kind. I will do anything I can to help her. She is my sister now as well."

She slowly leaned down as to not upset Marcus and lightly kissed the girl on the forehead before leaving. The rest followed, leaving Marcus with his mate.

* * *

He watched as a nurse switched the bag of saline attached to his mate's vein, providing her with hydration to keep her alive. Another machine monitored her pulse, which stayed low and steady – a good sign, the doctor assured him. It was strong and sure, although to him it sounded as delicate as the fluttering of a moth's wings.

Even with the human nurse so near, he barely felt the pull of bloodlust, though he knew it was likely months since he fed – perhaps even a year? They needed less feeding as they grew older, him even less so than his brothers and sisters, as blood had long ago lost its appeal in his own melancholy. He had been alone so long. Waiting for her, wishing for a mate of his own. He had almost given up hope, especially after the loss of Didyme. She had been a good wife. He thought he must have done something to anger the gods to withhold his mate, although he could barely even remember the feelings of loneliness and resentment now, faced with his mate in front of him. The brightness of her outshone everything else in his life.

Even sickly and weak and unconscious, she was the most beautiful blessing he could've imagined in all his long years. Her hair was long and wont to curl, while her lips pouted and pursed while she dreamt… how he longed to taste them. Her nose was straight, her skin clear and creamy. Her figure, while obscured beneath the sheet and emaciated, promised lush curves with generous hips for him to hold and ample breasts he longed to taste. And her eyes… how he remembered the beautiful colour of her eyes, as deep and untamed as the sea, looking straight into him as if she saw his very soul.

He wondered how he could have ever doubted the gods will, when faced with the perfection before him.

* * *

The next time Anna awoke her head was slightly clearer and she only had an IV in her arm. The light was still dim and she noticed there were heavy red velvet drapes covering the windows. The only light in the room came from a fire and a few candles spaced throughout the room, making her unable to discern whether it was night or day.

The handsome dark haired man who she presumed was the one who brought her here was the only one in the room this time. He was sitting beside the bed in an antique looking straight back wooden chair with a large, old tome in his hands. She was once again stunned by how handsome he was. He seemed to sense she was awake and looked up.

"Ah, you are awake. I am glad. You have been asleep a long time."

She swallowed, suddenly aware by her lack of saliva. Her throat contracted uncomfortably with the dryness tightening it. How long had she been sleeping? Her mouth felt as if it had been parched for days.

"Water… please," was all she could croak out. He immediately got up and she noticed he moved at a normal pace to get her a glass of water from a pitcher on a dressing table, reassuring her that all the strange things she remembered about unnatural speed to be a figment of her fever and concussion. Although he still moved more gracefully than she thought to be fair for a man of his size.

She had not seen many men taller or broader than he was, and he carried himself in a way that made his strength obvious. For some reason it only made him more attractive to her, rather than more of a danger as she knew it should have. He would certainly be more than capable of doing her a lot of damage.

As soon as he came back with the water she eagerly reached for it, moving to drain the glass quickly. She was stopped by a hand on her arm, causing her to flinch.

"Drink slower, dear one, you have not eaten or had much to drink recently. I would not want to upset your stomach."

She nodded guardedly at him, acknowledging the wisdom of his words. Once she was done, she looked back to find him back sitting in the chair, watching her as if she was the most interesting thing in the world. She shifted uncomfortably at the scrutiny and attempted to sit up, taking a deep breath against the pain she knew would follow. As soon as she started moving, however, he reached out to stop her again. She immediately settled back down, partially wanting to appease him but mostly acting on instinct, not wanting him to touch her again because she knew pain always followed touching.

"You are still healing. Please don't distress your injuries, cara mia," he said gently.

She eyed him wearily; suddenly very aware of the vulnerable position she was in. Despite feeling so at ease with this man, which was uncomfortable in itself for her, she was also all too aware of the dangers of letting her guard down around others. She had spent the last year learning that particular lesson.

He seemed to realize she was suddenly suspicious and leaned back in his chair, a look of something akin to hurt crossing over his face so quickly she almost didn't catch it.

"Why am I here? What do you want with me? Where is Joseph?"

She knew she was being rude, demanding these things of this man who had been nothing but gracious to her so far, but she was uncomfortably aware of the peculiarity of this situation, as well as the danger of it. He saw a look of horror pass over her face suddenly and all the blood drained from it as she asked, "And how long have I been here?"

He easily answered that question, whereas the other left him eying her speculatively.

"You have been here for six days."

She inhaled sharply. " _Six days?_ "

He raised one perfect eyebrow, unsure how to react to her demanding questions. "Indeed. You were very ill. The doctor kept you in a coma for many days to allow your brain injuries time to heal."

"A coma? Shouldn't I be in an ICU? What is this place?"

"The doctor assured me you would be cared for here. This is my home."

"Your home? Why am I here? Do you work with Joseph? Where is he?"

Her wariness suddenly escalated and she was now petrified, bordering on full-blown panic. If Joseph found out she was in another man's home without him, he would kill both of them.

"Cara mia, please be calm. I do not know this Joseph but there is no need to panic. You are safe. Do not fear me," he seemed to be pleading with her. Everything in her wanted to trust him for reasons she couldn't fathom, however she couldn't allow herself that. She needed to get out of here. She didn't know where she could go that Joseph wouldn't find her, or if he had found her already and was just biding his time. But she knew she couldn't stay here. What if he was testing her and wanted to see what she would do with another man? A slight strangled whimper came from her throat as she saw the man reach for her again and, without a second thought, her heart racing so fast it felt as if it would burst from her chest, she fainted.

He watched his beautiful mate suddenly become panicked and didn't know what to do to calm her, nor what had caused it. She had gone from confused and worried to pure fear almost instantly as soon as he told her she was in the castle. And then as quickly as it had started, it stopped when he had reached out to touch her hand to try and sooth her, as his instincts demanded him to do.

"Piccola?" he asked softly. She didn't respond, she did not smell asleep, and yet her eyes were closed and her breathing had evened out. He was utterly confounded and scared for his small mate. Had the injuries to her brain damaged it without the doctor knowing?

"Aro," he called out softly, loud enough that he would hear him, but just under the human hearing range. His brother was at his side almost instantly.

"I don't know what happened. She was asking questions and as soon as I told her she was in our home, this happened. She is unresponsive. I am unsure about what to do. Is it possible her injuries damaged her brain?"

Aro frowned. "I am not sure… perhaps she swooned? Humans are such delicate creatures." He seemed to be contemplating something. "I know you requested I wait until I have her permission but perhaps you would allow me to read her now? It may shed some light on this mysterious situation."

Marcus didn't want to invade his mate's privacy, however he desperately needed answers, so he nodded once, uncertainly, at his brother. Aro slowly made his way forward, not wanting to cause offence to what he knew was a volatile vampire protecting its injured mate.

He lightly grasped her hand, closing his eyes for a moment. Marcus watched his face. Usually it took Aro no more than a second to absorb and see all the information he needed, however after a second, his brow furrowed and he took on a look of concentration. After five seconds, which felt like an eternity to Marcus, he opened he eyes back to his brother.

"She is gifted," he said in awe. "I've never seen anything like this before. It's as if she has screened what I see, showing only trivial things clearly. The rest is out of focus and blurred together."

Marcus was shocked, and he looked back at the unassuming girl in the bed. "What were you able to make out?"

"Her name is Anna and has only been in Italy for a few years, from what I can tell. The rest I cannot understand without clarification."

Marcus frowned, his concern for his mate growing even more insistent. He was thankful he had many millennia of practice keeping his face devoid of emotion. "Do you think we should summon the doctor?"

Aro considered. "She does not seem ill. This seems to be more of a fear response. Bringing more strangers to her bedside would likely make her even more frightened. I would not risk further injury either, though…"

Marcus nodded in understanding.

"I will find more of what I can about your mate Marcus, with your permission. I know you requested we wait until she awakened, as to not invade her privacy, however I believe it would be beneficial to better understand what is going on."

Marcus sighed and acquiesced. "Perhaps you may be correct."

* * *

Aro frowned in front of the computer. He was still not comfortable with it, though Sulpicia made sure they were kept up to date with the latest technologies. However that was not what was making him agitated this time. Rather, he did not like what he was finding on it.

The Volturi, of course, had access to much more information than the general public, so finding the origins of their mysterious guest was not too difficult. As they had deduced by her accent she was born in the state of New York in the United States, however her family was all reported dead. She was a doctor – a child prodigy, apparently. Head of her class in one of the highest ranking schools in the world. And yet she had chosen to do her residency in Nigeria of all places. And that was where the paper trail ended. It was reported she was kidnapped. Human trafficking was suspected, but she was never found. And all this time she had been in an apartment in Rome? What a peculiar situation they had found themselves in. Fortuna was truly having a good time toying with them.


	2. Chapter 2

Aro sat in his office and considered the information he had discovered, unsure of what to do or how to handle the situation he was confronted with. He had been the head of the Volturi for millennia, with Marcus mainly uninterested and Caius unmotivated, which meant the majority of problem solving and planning had fallen to him. He had been in this role so long, from birth practically, that it came naturally to him. Which made this _uncertainty_ wholly foreign and uncomfortable. He hadn't felt such a thing for at least 1000 years.

Truly, this entire situation was delicate and uncomfortable, and needed to be handled with the utmost care, lest he upset his newly bonded brother or his fragile new sister. And yet, if they were going to help her, they needed more answers about her past. He could hear her heart beat beginning to increase back up to a normal rhythm in the other room and headed toward his brother's chambers.

He really would need to talk to Marcus about updating them. He hadn't done so in a few hundred years and it was painfully obvious. That bed could not be comfortable for the girl, and a few modern conveniences would likely make her life much more comfortable as well… at least until she was also one of them and no longer in need of such human trifles.

He stopped outside the door in his brother's office and listened to what was happening inside; he did not want to interrupt if she were more cognizant again, or intrude on their privacy. Although her heartbeat was not as slow as it had been, he could not hear any voices or other movement and decided his discussion could wait until she was more comfortable… a delicate situation indeed.

* * *

Anna felt herself slowly crawling back to consciousness out of the warm, safe place she had sought refuge in. She slowly took inventory of her extremities. Nothing seemed to hurt, other than the aching feeling after one hadn't moved in a long time and the remaining pain in her leg and ribs. She listened for noises around her and heard only the crackling of a fire. She couldn't hear anyone breathing or moving near her so she slowly allowed herself to open her eyes. She blinked, adjusting and focusing her sight once again. Her head was pounding and it took her vision a few moments to focus.

She saw out of the corner of her eye that the beautiful, terrifying man was still sitting there, staring at her again. She flinched a little, trying not to let it show, but she suspected he caught it. She felt her stomach sink and hoped he wouldn't punish her for it. She admitted to herself that he didn't seem inclined to do so, and something inside of her reminded her that not all people wanted to hurt her… especially this one. For some reason, she wanted to trust him rather than fear him, and that terrified her. Why did she feel so sure he would protect and care for her? She had never been so sure about anything before and it was dizzying.

She knew she was eying him, both wearily and beseechingly, and she also knew she shouldn't allow herself to let him know how she was feeling or thinking. She didn't know him. She shouldn't trust him. But she did. To his credit he only looked worried. She couldn't be certain, though. He was quite good at keeping his face void of emotion and that made her uncomfortable. It was always worse when you didn't know what was coming.

He could see her conflicted emotions. He watched them fly across her face at an alarming rate and decided to distract her, if at all possible, for the time being. He knew that she was human and fragile and she would need to eat soon. She had been fed intravenously for the last six days, but the doctor had told him as soon as she awoke he should be called for immediately, and that she should drink and eat lightly in the meantime to bring strength back to her body. When she had fainted, he had said it was from the low blood pressure and she would need to be careful while she was healing to ensure she was consuming enough fluids.

"Are you hungry?"

Her stomach chose that moment to let out an embarrassingly loud growl and she realized she was famished. She blushed and he smiled at her with the gentlest curving of his lips, but his eyes were practically shining with warmth. "I'll send for some food for you."

He got up and his movement transfixed her again as he disappeared through a massive old-looking elaborately carved door that he opened with no difficulty. She took the moment to calm herself in privacy. This situation was too strange, even for her cosmic joke of a life.

He was back very quickly, once again opening the huge solid wood door as if it were nothing. "The food should be here momentarily," he told her.

She thanked him quietly and took the time to actually study him. She hadn't noticed before, had been too distracted with fear and stunned by this strange man, but his clothing looked almost as dated as this room. He wore a full three-piece suit with what looked to be some sort of regal robe over top; it contrasted heavily against his skin that was so pale it was almost white. His eyes, too, were black, almost as if the pupils blended into the iris entirely. And the way he held himself - confidently, almost arrogantly, even when sitting in a chair beside her sickbed – indicated that this was a very powerful man. He commanded the room just by entering it.

He seemed to be watching her as well, equally interested, although she wasn't sure what should be so interesting about her or why he was still there with her. Did he not have anything better to do than sit with his injured guest all day? He still hadn't told her the reason she was even there, but she opted to try questioning him again after she ate. She would have more strength then, and maybe he would allow her to leave… but she shouldn't allow herself to have foolish hopes. All men were the same, only wanting to steal and possess what they wanted…. a small voice in her head disagreed with this thought. Though she tried to ignore it, it demanded her attention, compelled by these new raw feelings she felt for the strange beautiful man.

This voice reminded her that if he was going to hurt her, he probably would have done so already. He was offering to feed her, and had clearly gotten her medical attention, which Joseph had never done. She countered this, reminding herself that maybe he wanted to lull her into a false sense of security? Or maybe he had no interest in a toy that was already broken and starved? But he did not seem like the sort who hurt women. Those types had surrounded her for years, but she did remember times before then… times when she lived her life without it being controlled for her, when people reached out to touch her with love and did not seek only to cause pain.

"I believe your food is here, tesoro. Allow me to fetch it for you," he got up once again – she was beginning to think that door must be fake wood – and brought back a tray with broth, juice, and water on it. It was the second most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. She didn't allow herself to consider that _he_ maybe the first.

He assisted her in moving to a sitting position, delighting in the feel of her weight in his arms and the feel of her soft, warm skin beneath his hands. He never wished to let her go and tried to ignore the flinch she gave when he reached for her. She settled as soon as her sat back down again, and eagerly began to eat her food. He watched her eyes glaze over with pleasure from the first bite and hoped it would be gentle enough on her stomach. He did not want his sweet mate to be ill again.

She ate it slowly and seemed to be uncomfortable with his observation so he brought the book he had been pretending to read back out and instead listened to her and watched her out of the corner of his eye. When she was finished, he put it down and addressed her once again while removing the tray from her lap.

"The Doctor would also like to see you and I thought you might enjoy a bath if he permits it. A nurse can assist you in that."

She brightened considerably at the mention of a bath and readily agreed.

* * *

He was waiting in his office as the doctor was with his mate, listening to the check up. He heard her slight whimper as her catheter and IV were removed and had braced himself against barging in there and comforting her. Afterward, he listened to the doctor questioning her about how she was feeling.

The doctor had been stunned when her pneumonia, the swelling in her brain, and the broken bones healed quicker than he thought they should have. He had told Marcus it was a miracle, as most other patients in that condition would have taken weeks to heal, especially considering how malnourished she was. He and his brothers had discussed it and suspected that his presence may have been a factor in it, as the mating bond often strengthened each of the mates, which only made Marcus even more determined not to leave that room for the entirety of the six days she had been unconscious.

After the doctor was finished he came into Marcus' office where he was waiting and debriefed him on her condition. She was still healing at a rate the doctor found alarming and he clearly had many questions about it, but knew better than to ask. He had been paid an exorbitant amount of money to do his job without uncomfortable inquiries.

Marcus thanked him for his services and the doctor left to fetch the nurse who would help her with her bath, which the doctor had also approved. Marcus tried not to think of his little mate naked and being bathed, as the mere thought made him more aroused than he had been at any time with Didyme. She had been a good wife to him, but was certainly no mate. They had both known it and he mourned her death, however he had always been waiting for her… this sweet, beautiful, mysterious human with eyes like golden sunlight shining through a forest.

As he was waiting, he called one of the Guard to come and change the sheets in his room. He assumed his mate would like clean ones, and the ones on the bed were permeated with the scent of her illness. One of the younger ones did it quickly and efficiently, seemingly eager to prove herself and increase her ranking from one of the lower guard. While she was engaged, Aro came into his office to talk with him. Marcus had heard him there earlier before she had regained consciousness but he had left them in peace, thankfully.

"She seems to be recovering well," Aro commented.

"Indeed," Marcus agreed.

Aro then looked a little concerned about what he was about to say, which immediately put Marcus on edge. "I have looked into her history…"

"Yes," Marcus prompted him. "What did you discover, brother?"

"It is peculiar, to say the least. Records show she was born in the United States and she is only 24 years old, however she already completed her medical doctorate at the age of 22 and was working in Nigeria where it is reported she had been kidnapped. That is all the information I could find. I wonder whether you have any more information about where she was found? Perhaps that will shed more light on this situation."

Marcus frowned at this news. He desperately wanted to ask his mate about her troubling past, however he did not want to upset anymore than he already had. He gave Aro the address, hoping he might get more answers that way.

One Aro had left, he heard the nurse leading his mate back into his bedroom in the wheelchair and asked in halting English whether she needed anything else, before walking back toward his office. She struggled with the door before she emerged, smiling hesitantly, and told him she was finished. He thanked her politely and forced himself not to run back to his mate, as he knew that would end up scaring both her and the nurse. He walked as slowly as he could, which was probably still a little too quick to be a normal human pace. She brightened when she saw him and gave a nervous smile, which sent a rush of warmth through his cold body.

"How do you feel?" he inquired. She looked much better now, he could tell. Her long hair was damp, but clean, and had been braided by the nurse. It fell heavily down her back and he saw the colour more clearly now – a deep red that he believed humans called auburn. But that colour was much more than just auburn. He could see lighter pieces – almost blonde that reflected the light and deep browns that contrasted with it. Her skin looked healthier as well, almost glowing now that it was cleaner. If he thought she had been the most radiant thing he had seen before, she surpassed it now.

"Much better, thank you," she said politely, almost demurely. She stifled a yawn afterward, not wanting to be rude.

"Would you like to sleep now? The doctor recommended you rest often, whenever you feel like it."

She realized how exhausted she was and agreed hesitantly, unsure about whether this was a trick or if he had ulterior motives. He did not seem to have malicious intent so she allowed herself to be settled back into the bed, noticing that he had had the sheets changed. It felt so good sliding between them and feeling clean once again. She wanted to ask him to leave so she could sleep in peace, however something inside her knew he likely wouldn't. And a large portion didn't want him to anyways. She chose not to think on that and instead allowed her exhaustion to overtake her.

* * *

She awoke to the bright light of morning streaming through the large windows and the nurse from the day before standing beside her bed writing on in a chart. Her angel wasn't in his customary seat and she found herself troubled by this and quickly scolded herself. He clearly had better things to do than sit around by her bedside all day, and shouldn't she be glad? Just yesterday, hadn't she been worried he would abuse her as Joseph had?

The nurse noticed she was awake and smiled warmly, looking away from her notes.

" _Buongiorno_ ," she said with a heavy accent when she saw Anna was awake. "I have…" she seemed to be searching for the correct word, "breakfast and medicine for you. How are you feeling?"

" _Mi sento bene,_ " (I feel good)

" _Parli Italiano?_ " (You speak Italian?), she asked in surprise. "Eccelente, my English not good."

The woman reached for a tray on the dresser and set it on Anna's lap before reaching with small, warm hands to help her into a sitting position, repositioning the pillows behind her. Anna was shocked to realize how warm these hands felt compared to her angel's, and how differently they made her feel… while she knew logically this woman posed very little threat to her, and didn't seem to mean her any harm, they made her uncomfortable for an unexplainable reason. And while her angel's touch should've frightened her with its familiarity and danger, it only made her want more. She wanted to crawl into his lap and stay there for all eternity. The sentiment was shocking. She hardly knew him! How could she have such strong yearnings for someone she had barely spoken 10 words to?

She was distracted by these thoughts by the banana on the tray, reveling in the luxury of having fresh fruit again. She snuck a look at her chart which the nurse had placed on the bedside. It confirmed her suspicions that she was healing much quicker than she should have but said nothing. Perhaps she could ask later.

Once she was finished the tray, the nurse had a round of injections for her – antibiotics and steroids, the nurse told her, for her continued healing – and offered another bath for her as a consolation for the prodding. Anna readily accepted this. She loved baths. They were a luxury she had been denied for a very long time and dearly missed. Despite trying not to flinch every time the nurse had to touch her and having to keep her leg out of the water, it made her feel infinitely better.

* * *

Marcus tried to wait patiently, tried very hard not to think of his mate 20 feet away, naked and soapy, and so delectable in his hands. He had been alive for 2000 years, he should've had control over his body by now… and yet he felt like a boy again with his body awakening to women for the first time. He found himself hard at the mere thought of her and attempted to divert his thoughts elsewhere so he didn't disturb her with his body's obscene response.

When he heard her emerge from the bathroom and ask the nurse for more food, he found himself immediately getting up and summoning one of the Guard who were stationed in the wing to fetch more from the kitchens, not wanting to keep her hungry for long. He found himself idly planning how to fit a kitchen in his office so she could always have food nearby before he caught himself. How strange this mating phenomenon was. It had taken over every facet of his being. Even reading was no distraction, as everything seemed to invariably pull his thoughts to her.

The same female from the lower guard knocked softly at his office door before entering with a plate of human food which contained a piece of fruit, a pastry, and a thick blended liquid that smelled of other fruits. It did not look appetizing to him, but his mate seemed pleased with everything thus far so he had not complaints with it.

Before the nurse could even relay his mate's request to him, Marcus was knocking at the door to his bedroom, very aware that he didn't want to set off his mate's anxiety again. He heard material rustling which he assumed was the nurse clothing her and braced himself against the rush of arousal that assaulted him again.

"I have food, in case she is hungry," he said when the older women opened the door slightly to see who it was. She nurse relayed the information behind her before opening the door wider to admit him, straining to do so, he noticed. The doors must be too heavy for a human to easily opened. He'd need to change that before his mate was more mobile and injured herself trying to move it.

He saw she was sitting in the chair he usually occupied, in a pair of tight cotton pants and a thick wool sweater, rather than the voluminous nightgown he had grown accustomed to. This would be even harder, he realized. Those pants showed off every curve, hiding nothing. He did not know how he would restrain himself from tearing them off and bending her over if he ever saw her in them from behind.

He set the food on a table near her and sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his ankle over his knee to seem more casual to her. It seemed to make her more relaxed and he would do anything to make her feel safe and comfortable with him.

"What would you like to do today, cara mia? Do you desire more rest? Or a tour of my home? My family has a collection of art if you enjoy such things, or a library you may visit. I only ask you do not over exert yourself."

"A library? That sounds amazing," she said, blushing and smiling slightly at him before averting her eyes.

And Marcus knew he would have given her anything if it made her smile like that again.


	3. Chapter 3

She was determined to make it to this library. She felt as if she could sleep for ten years, but libraries had always been her safe space. She had skipped many grades throughout school and finished her undergrad at an accelerated pace so was always younger than the other people in her classes and had spent most of her time throughout her schooling hiding from bullies behind giant stacks of books. Books didn't taunt you, or push you, or kidnap you and lock you in a room for months on end… she closed her eyes, pushing that thought away. The library… she had wanted to see the library. There was no time to think of bad things now, she could do that later, when she could cry and shake in the dark and in the privacy of her room.

Marcus could better see the anxiety on her face and the deep circles of exhaustion under her eyes, as well as the fading bruises that were still left behind to mar her beautiful skin, and he wanted to be sure she felt well enough and wouldn't injure or overexert herself.

"If you desire to rest beforehand I will take you this afternoon instead," he offered. "The doctor permitted you to be mobile but he said you would need to rest often and not strain your injuries."

She looked uncertain about his offer and he wanted very badly to ease all her insecurities, but to his delight, she responded positively - if a little hesitantly, "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would love to see it now. I'm not too tired."

"Of course, cara mia. However part of the doctor's stipulations is that he insists you use the wheelchair for now. Or, if you would prefer, I could carry you." He hoped she would allow him to carry her. He wanted to feel her in his arms, close to him.

She sighed at having to use the wheelchair, however it certainly was not going to keep her from this library. And it was a lesser evil than having him carry her as well, despite the way her heart skipped a little at the thought of being held by him, and not out of fear, either.

"The wheelchair is fine," she told him, missing his look of disappointment. She slowly stood up, her body protesting it slightly with it's still mending bones and week of disuse and settled herself in the chair before he wheeled her out of his rooms. She finally got a look at the rest of this place as well, after having been confined only to his bed for so long. On the other side of the bedroom there was an office of sorts, with a wall full of books, a desk and a small sitting area in front of another fireplace. Outside of his apartments was a large hallway lined with two other sets of ornate double doors, one taking up the end of the hallway and the other directly across from his.

He led her out of that section and down another large hall. She figured this place had to be a castle as it was so enormous. The walls were lined with paintings, most of which looked to be very old, and some so large they took up almost the entirety of the wall, floor to ceiling, which soared above her head.

Her breath caught in her chest when she thought she saw what looked to be an original Botticelli. She had never seen it before, but it was certainly his style – ethereal almost. A beautiful dark haired Diana and an exquisite fair haired Callisto, scantily dressed in short tunics and bows in hand, sat amongst flowers in an orange tree grove. They looked somehow familiar, however she couldn't place it.

Marcus seemed to know what had gotten her attention and stopped so she could get a better look at it. It featured the same beautiful light-haired woman as was found in many of his paintings, but surely…

"This is, indeed, a Botticelli. You have a good eye, dear one. It was..." he considered how to phrase it for a moment, not wanting to give her too many details to make her suspicious, "Rescued from the Bonfire of the Vanities. We heard of it and acquired it for our collection," he told her, a slight smile in his voice. "This, of course, is the same woman as he modelled his Venus after. He took many portraits of her, some even said he was in love with her. I do not think she returned his affections, however."

Her jaw dropped and she craned her neck to look at him incredulously. He spoke of the woman as if he knew her or this was somehow common knowledge. Suspicion pricked at her and she tried to quench it. She wanted so badly to trust him, to believe he was different than the other people she knew with rare art obtained by nefarious means. "How on earth could it have wound up in a private collection? This should be in a museum, on display somewhere, it must be priceless."

"Indeed," he answered cautiously. She narrowed her eyes at him and he watched her shake her head as if at something she was thinking, and refocused on the painting in front of her.

"It's so beautiful," she finally said. "When was it completed? Where has it been hiding?"

"It never was. It was only practice – see how the two mirror each other's position and have the same expression and shape? And he replicated the same setting for his _Primavera._ Nonetheless, it is priceless, as you say, and has been kept in private hands."

She nodded at his observations, her mind still reeling at the thought of witnessing this priceless antique which had been secreted throughout history. She couldn't imagine what the Louvre or Uffizi would do to get its hands on this.

He was slightly amused by how enchanted she was with the depictions of his sisters. He knew they were still within hearing distance and did not want to make either them or her uncomfortable, so he restrained himself from telling her that she was far more enchanting and beautiful than this painting. "We have a few more in other parts of the castle if you would like to see them as well."

She answered quickly, "Yes, definitely." Then hesitated, not wanting to sound too eager, "If you have time later, that is. I don't want to impose. I'm sure you have better things to do."

He chucked and straightened up, returning to pushing her down the hall. "There is nothing I would enjoy more, piccola."

The hall ended at a small alcove with an artfully lit marble bust in it, where they turned right. This hall had more doors down it, however there were also a few paintings interspersed between them, as well as a tapestry that looked as if it had real gold threads in it that glittered as they walked past.

They turned down another hallway, and then another – there was no way she would remember how to get back at this point – which finally opened up into a magnificent white marble hall with an arched ceiling.

It was perfectly round, three stories high, and lined on every wall with books. There were massive windows letting in the sunlight, making the room seem even bigger and brighter. It hurt her eyes slightly after being without natural light for so long and took her breath away.

She saw a small sitting area with red velvet chairs around a fireplace across from her and a smaller arched doorway to her right that seemed to lead to another room.

"Welcome to the Volturi library," he said, smiling at her reaction as he walked from behind the chair in front of her to gesture to the walls. She seemed transfixed by him again and he realized she must have been seeing his skin in the sunlight for the first time. It glowed slightly, not nearly as blinding as a newborn's but still slightly discernibly different to the human eye. He decided to ignore her reaction and distract her, not wanting to draw her attention to something that would likely upset her.

"The first level is our most recent additions, organized by language and then alphabetically. The second floor is a continuation, mainly predating the 20th century. The third floor is our collection of first editions, as well as our other earliest volumes. My sister reorganizes it frequently, however. And through that door is our scroll room, which you are welcome to as well."

He masterfully redirected her, turning her attention turning back to the books. She didn't know where to start and struggled to get out of the wheelchair to get a better look at it. He assisted her, offering her one large hand and feeling an immense male satisfaction when he saw how much smaller hers was in his.

"You do not have to use the wheelchair for much longer, but please just humour me until then. I do not want to compromise your healing," he soothed, as he tucked her hand into his arm, offering his strength as support.

She wanted to resist but the pleading look he was giving her melted her resolve. She didn't know how or why, but she decided to allow it. Especially when faced with all these books. And a scroll room! Who was this man and how did he live in a castle filled with treasures?

"Scrolls?" she breathed. She realized she sounded like an overwhelmed child faced with Disney World for the first time but he didn't seem to mind. He happily obliged her and led her through the smaller arched doorway she saw. They had to go through two sets of automatic sliding glass doors similar to an isolation chamber in a hospital, which she suspected was to keep the moisture out. He didn't put any special clothing or mask on, though, which confused her. Should he not be more careful with the precious, delicate materials?

She was distracted from her worries when they finally entered the chamber. It was quite large, with cubes covering the walls with scrolls and parchment in them and a large table in the middle. Similar to the library behind them, it was brightly lit, although it had harsher artificial lighting.

"What are all of these," she asked in wonder. Her thirst for knowledge delighted him and he basked in the glow of her enjoyment, vowing to find something every day to please her as much as this did.

He gestured to one wall. "These are very early copies of the Torah. They range from approximately the 500th century to the 4th century BCE. We believe we have one of the oldest complete editions of Song of Solomon."

He gestured to another few. "These were rescued from the library of Alexandria. They are mainly on the subjects of astronomy and physics. The Egyptians favoured papyrus, of course, and there are many languages represented. Unfortunately some of them are lost. My sister has taken a particular interest in languages, however, and I'm sure she would be happy to help you translate any texts you would like. There are many which I am not adept in, although I believe there are some Linear B scrolls around here somewhere, which I can read to you…"

He could see she was becoming overwhelmed, so he asked her if she wanted to see any, quickly learning that distraction worked well on her when she seemed to be becoming panicked. She nodded vigorously and he smiled, selecting one on astronomy. He had always found the subject fascinating and was sure she would as well.

An hour later, she was fast asleep in one of the chairs in the library. Athenodora had come by a few minutes before to check on them and reiterated to him the offering of her services in any languages he was not adept in. She had always been the one who kept them fluent in all the dialects with the passing time, as well as remembering the ones of times past.

She smiled when she saw Anna curled up in the seat, a copy of Pride and Prejudice in her hand, although she had refused to touch their first edition copy, which was something he found troubling, as she apparently didn't want to ruin it. She didn't seem to understand that her delight in it was worth more to him than all the first edition copies of any book in the world.

He was planning on waking her up to feed her again, and he would also need to talk with Aro at some point to see if he had uncovered any more information about her mysterious past. His mate was so very young, but it was clear she had seen more than she ever should have had to. Marcus only hoped he could protect her from anything else that would do her harm.

* * *

She was dreaming of light and warmth and alluring smells when she felt something caressing her arm. She batted it away and heard a chuckle in response; she smiled as well, loving the sound. It sounded of safety and belonging and made its home in that deep place inside of her that had always been empty, always waiting and wanting.

It started caressing her again and she made a whining sound, shifting her arm away, wanting to sleep more in this soft, warm, safe place. But it followed her, cupping her elbow now and using it to straighten her body. She suddenly realized she wasn't dreaming and jolted awake.

It caught him by surprise when she suddenly sat up, her eyes wide and frightened, a very clear difference from the relaxed, sleepy enjoyment from before. Seeing her smile that way had almost made him feel _giddy_ inside, as if he were some young girl freshly wedded.

"It's only me, do not be alarmed," he wished he did not have to keep reassuring her not to be afraid. It enraged him that someone had taught her this sort of fear in the first place.

She calmed easier this time. It seemed as if it was becoming easier for her to still her fears. Or perhaps he was just desperately hoping it was and deluding himself.

"You should eat. There is food waiting for you back in our rooms."

It did not pass his notice when he referred to it as _their_ rooms, although it did take him by surprise how easily she had become entrenched in his life, however she did not seem to catch it.

"That sounds good," she said, and then looked at him with a strange expression on her face. "I've been here for a week, and every time I wake you are sitting by me. You are feeding me and brought me to this beautiful, immense library but I don't even know your name."

He smiled, again more with his eyes than his mouth, which tilted upwards only slightly. "I am Marcus of the Volturi, and it has been my pleasure to sit with you and ensure you are healing, fed, content, and well."

"The Volturi? What is that? Is it like…" she didn't want to say the word, terrified she had somehow escaped one gang to wind up in the hands of another. She didn't want to think of this beautiful man as involved in something so awful.

"The Volturi is my family's name, as our ancestral seat is Volterra," he said, skirting around the fact that the ancient seat was chosen by him, hundreds of years previously.

She was startled. Things started making sense… of course they lived in a castle and had a giant library and rare art collection – they must've been some Italian noble family. She didn't know why he was always hovering nearby but maybe he was just eccentric. Rich, sheltered people often were. She felt herself relax slightly for the first time since waking up, now that she had a reason for all the strange things over the past few days.

"I just have to return this," she waved toward the book in her hands.

"Don't bother. Just bring it with you."

* * *

When they returned, she ate more broth and tea, read more of her novel, and slept some more, which the doctor assured Marcus would be natural. Apparently, she would need to rest more often than usual, even now that she was mending in order for her body to heal. While she slept Aro came into their rooms, his face even more grim than before.

"I am afraid I have more bad news. The situation with your young mate is worse than we had thought. I looked into the information and the apartment you gave me is listed under a high-ranking member of an Italian crime syndicate, a Joseph Acerbi."

Marcus was shocked at this and growled lowly. He had known from the first time he saw her, knew every time when he saw such fear in her eyes, that someone had harmed her. And this person was the one who had the disgusting bond possessively wrapped around her, strangling her. Never before had he felt so drawn to violence as he did now.

"It gets worse, brother. They have been trading weapons and moving illegal substances with a very large drug cartel in Nigeria. I suspect he is the one who kidnapped her and brought her here. Perhaps they met while she was working but we cannot know for certain unless we ask her. I am almost positive that he is the one responsible for her injuries, though."

Marcus had to restrain his growl, not wanting to wake and upset his mate. "I will find him, and I will kill him."

Aro could hear the vow in his brother's voice and was overjoyed by the change in him, although he wouldn't show it. Marcus had been passive and unconcerned for far too long, although it was truly unfortunate the change had to come in the form of the harm of his mate.

* * *

Her days quickly fell into a routine… a routine in which Marcus was always hovering in the background. She woke up, took a luxurious bath in that ancient looking tub, ate a hearty breakfast, and then wandered with him to the library, often taking a different route so he could show her more of their art collection. She never saw another person other than the doctor and nurse who visited her in her bedroom, which she found odd in such a large place but also comforting. She wasn't sure she wanted anyone else to break the blissful bubble they had created together. They did not speak much, other than her asking questions about the art and always thanking him profusely for everything. Once they got to the library, they would sit and read together in silence, only pausing when he left to get her lunch. And she felt herself getting stronger. Every day she could walk a bit farther on her own, although her leg still ached where it had been broken. It felt like being with him strengthened her, but that was such a silly trite notion she dismissed it.

But she was happy. She couldn't remember the last time she described herself thus. They were sitting in the library slightly past midday and she found herself looking at him. He was perfect. From his finely sculpted jaw, to the dark, almost entirely black, eyes… and the sheer size of him, as if he was literally larger than life. It sent a primal shiver down her spine, but rather than fear, he evoked such an intense desire in her which she had never felt before. As if he could sense her gaze, he looked up and met her eye. She blushed and averted her eyes immediately, mortified that he caught her staring.

She felt at a loss with the feeling, and found it was equally mortifying as being caught staring had been. She had never even had a schoolgirl crush before, let alone experienced this desire to touch him, taste him, rub herself against him… the thought caused a tightening, aching feeling beneath her belly button that made her want to squeeze her thighs together.

He could smell her arousal and had to physically prevent himself from launching himself from the chair and burying his face between her thighs where he would be able to smell her best and taste the exquisite flesh between her legs… he was glad the current fashion he was wearing had looser pants to better conceal the reaction the scent had on his body.

He didn't know if he could control himself much longer if she kept smelling so delicious, so he excused himself, citing a need to find a book she had said she was looking for in his own private library. She was a little confused, but nodded her head as he left. She felt oddly bereft without him. The room seemed to have grown too large without him filling the space with her.

The minutes ticked by and she grew more agitated. What was taking him so long? She stood and began to pace, ignoring the pinch in her leg. She knew it was not normal to feel this way, but they had hardly been separated in the entire time she had been here and she felt entirely lost without him.

Deciding she would head back to her bedroom to wait for him there, where she would feel more sheltered and safe than in this huge cavernous room, she left the library. She remembered the first few turns easily and the halls were familiar to her so she was certain she was heading in the right direction. She recognized the Botticelli painting, a small greenery that was bathed in tons of light and covered in all sorts of plants everywhere, and a forked hallway that was always pitch black down one end and always sent a chill down her spine. It was so strange. The other hallway was cheerful and bright just as the rest of the castle was, but this hallway had no lights and it seemed to swallow all the light from the main hall as well, not allowing it to penetrate it whatsoever. Usually it did not bother her so when she was with Marcus, but now that she was alone it made her even more unnerved.

Sometime after that, as she was distracted considering what might be down that creepy hallway, she found herself having taken a wrong turn and gotten lost. She didn't recognize where she was at all. There were fewer doorways and there seemed to be at least 10 hallways leading off from this one. There wasn't any art on the walls either and she couldn't even remember which hall she had come from. With a sigh, she decided to stop and look around her to see if she could figure out her way from here back to more familiar territory.

Her leg was now throbbing painfully, unused to this rough treatment as her gait had become faster and faster as she tried to navigate herself through the foreign halls… what had she gotten herself into? Why had she thought this was a good idea? She was still healing and this wasn't her home, she couldn't just wander around wherever she pleased unannounced.

Okay, she told herself. No panicking now. She just had to get herself out of this. Everything would be fine. Eventually Marcus would find her. She decided to give it one last chance and went down the hall she thought she might have come from. She couldn't even tell that it wasn't the right one until she had gotten to the end, turned a corner, and found herself in the coziest little nook she had ever seen. It was perfectly rounded and looked like it must jut off from the castle, as there was an almost fishbowl-like row of windows around it from which she could see for miles.

She could see a small picturesque town below her with Christmas lights on the perfect cookie cutter houses and a large square in the middle. She hadn't realized it was already Christmas time, having lost track of time while Joseph had her locked away and she hadn't even thought to ask Marcus what the date was because they were so peaceful in their own little bubble away from the rest of the world.

The view was absolutely beautiful. Someone else seemed to think so as well, as there was a daybed below the windows, covered in throw pillows and a cozy blanket.

This seemed as good a place as any to wait out someone finding her. She settled herself on the seat and wrapped the blanket around herself before she resumed looking out the window. She could see tiny people moving around the centre square and after a few minutes, snow began to fall in fat, heavy drops. It all seemed so surreal, so picturesque, it enchanted her.

She didn't know how long she sat there but suddenly she heard a voice from right beside her that made her jump. She hadn't heard anyone walking down the hall and she had grown so used to the peaceful quiet that surrounded her the last couple days, it practically startled her out of her skin.

"Who are you?" The man was only a few inches taller than her, thin but wiry with a whiplash quality. He stood eerily still and had pale skin that looked even fainter in the dimming light and blood red eyes that peered at her in an unnatural manner in the darkening light. Everything in Anna's head screamed predator. He began stalking closer to her. His movements were smooth and she instantly felt like cornered prey.

She stuttered, feeling panic crawling up her limbs and her heart began to race. "I-I'm Anna."

She instantly wanted him to get away from her, feeling an uneasy tension settling over her. She had wanted to be found, yes – but by Marcus! Not this terrifying man. She hadn't even considered that by sitting there, she had left herself like a sitting duck.

"I'd heard the Volturi lived as kings but I hadn't realized they left little snacks lying around… and you smell so delicious too," he took a large, audible breath through his nose. Her heart stuttered, her instincts insisting she run. A snack? What the fuck did that mean? She backed away but her back hit one of the windows. She was trapped. She whimpered.

Her eyes darted around frantically for Marcus. He had to save her… she started inching around, trying to reach the opening to this alcove that, before, had seemed so cozy and beautiful, but now only felt trapped and suffocating. He matched every movement, a slight sadistic smile taking form on his lips. She was suddenly, forcefully reminded of the last time she had been in a situation like this – when she first woken up in that awful bedroom, she had tried to get away from Joseph and had backed herself into a wall in her fear. Escaping was no use then and it was no use now. He was going to capture her.

Her panic spiked again and she frantically tried to dart past him. In her desperation and clumsiness her hand scraped against one of the stone walls, causing a bleeding gash. She paid it no mind and continued trying to scramble past him, desperately wanting to put more space between her and that feral looking man.

Except before she could move an inch, she was suddenly flat on her back, the back of her head screaming in pain, and the man was crouched above her, snarling, with his unnerving eyes fixated on her bleeding arm. Anna had no idea how he had come to be there so quickly, however her panic was rising and she did not have time to think on it. Instead, she screamed. Her screams became even more hysterical when, faster than she could blink, a young girl was suddenly there as well, snarling like a savage animal, and the man's head was no longer attached her body. And then she passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Bonfire of the Vanities: An extremely unfortunate event in Renaissance Florence. A crazy monk seized control of the city for a while and insisted their lifestyle was too lavish and they needed to literally burn all their luxuries. A bunch of Botticelli paintings were lost in it :(
> 
> Diana: (Grk. Artemis) The goddess of the hunt, known for having a band of virginal huntresses who followed her around everywhere.
> 
> Callisto: A beautiful young nymph who was part of Diana's band of virginal huntresses until Jupiter saw her and decided he wanted to fuck everything up with his thunder cock by raping her.
> 
> Linear A: An early Greek language mainly used in religious writings which is, as of yet, undeciphered. I would literally murder someone to have my own personal Marcus to read it to me.


	4. Chapter 4

Anna returned to consciousness with the ethereal young girl crouching above her. Her eyes were the same unnerving blood red as the mans had been, however her expression was not as terrifyingly feral. Instead, the girl looked relieved to see her awake. Despite this, Anna's breathing still hitched and she trembled. Her traumatized brain couldn't comprehend what had just happened. It all felt like a dream, as if she was living in some nightmarish haze. She knew she was in shock.

"You shouldn't be here," the girl said. "You must come with me."

She had pin straight blonde that fell slightly past her slight shoulders and a cherubic face that seemed much too serious for her age. She looked so young, perhaps barely out of childhood, and yet she wore a sophisticated black dress, black tights, and black heels that were likely to make her seem taller.

"I got lost on my way from the library," she told the girl, her voice sounded husky from the screaming and it wavered a bit. "Could you tell me where Marcus is?"

"I will take you to Lord Marcus myself," she said. "It's not safe for you to wander alone here."

She seemed so stern. Her demeanor was nowhere near her lovely youthful exterior.

"Oh, okay," she said, trying to heave herself up and failing as her lungs and leg both screamed at her. The girl offered a hand and helped her into a sitting position before easing her up to sit on the daybed again to catch her breath. Anna trembled and began to fuss with the seat, righting the pillows and refolding the blanket to give her shaking hands something to do to distract her. "Thank you for saving me but… what just happened?"

The girl bowed her head and said, "You are welcome, and that is something you must ask Lord Marcus," in a tone that brooked no arguments. She looked expectantly at Anna, clearly expecting her to come.

Anna didn't say anything after that, she just followed the girl who walked at a pace a little too quickly for Anna's liking, as her body felt like it had just gone 10 rounds with a freight train. They wound through the halls until Anna was back in familiar territory. She didn't dare tell this strange child that, though. The girl looked more likely to scold her as if _she_ were the child.

When they reached her room, a tall dark haired man was standing out in the hall and looked very surprised to see them.

"Jane," he said cautiously, speaking to the girl. "What are you doing here?"

"I found Master Marcus' mate in the East wing," she said, her face still blank and her voice devoid of emotion.

He raised an eyebrow at her and said, "Thank you, you have done well. I will take her from here."

The girl nodded and disappeared. Anna jumped a little at her fast movement but said nothing. She was in shock. Her mind was playing tricks on her, she assured herself.

"I kind of got lost leaving the library when Marcus didn't return," she said, looking at the ground and hoping she wouldn't get in trouble. "There was… a man… he tried to…"

To her immense mortification, her eyes began to well with tears. She felt as if she was about to have a panic attack right there on the floor and the man's eyes grew wide. She wasn't sure if it was because what she had said or her emotional display but he quickly began to speak, hoping to calm her.

"Marcus got detained on the phone with some business, I will take you to see Lady Sulpicia and notify him of what had happened."

"I don't know who that is," she said, and felt herself starting to hyperventilate. She needed Marcus. Where was he? Why did he choose now to deal with some sort of family business?

"Please, follow me. You will be okay, Lady Sulpicia is Marcus' sister. She will take care of you until he returns," he seemed almost as frantic as her now, leading her to the double doors at the very end of the hall, which she had wondered about every day that Marcus led her past them on the way to the library.

He knocked at the door and immediately an exquisite dark haired woman opened the door. She was dressed in an immaculate Chanel suit with her hair knotted at her neck. Her eyes were a dark red – almost mahogany, and her skin was as deathly pale as all the others she had seen in this castle. The woman looked shocked to see them and immediately opened the door wider.

"Please, come in. My name is Sulpicia," she gestured for Anna to sit on a couch in what looked like a receiving room. The beautiful woman was staring daggers at the man, who looked helpless. She saw their lips trembling as if they were speaking faster than she could hear, but her mind was too fractured to be able to truly comprehend what she was seeing.

Before she could even reach a couch to sit down, suddenly another tall, beautiful, red eyed woman was in the room. Anna hadn't seen her enter, just as she hadn't seen the man enter her alcove or the small girl walk away, and she jumped. How did these people keep appearing like this?

"I just stumbled across the beheaded body of a nomad in the east wing and-"

Before she could finish the sentence, Anna's panic had overcome her again and pulled her into a blissful oblivion. She fainted.

* * *

As soon as Marcus heard that there was an attack on his mate, he was in the family wing in an instant. He knew he shouldn't have stayed away so long – it had only been 45 minutes and he had hoped she would nap, as she usually did at this time. He had hoped he could return and wake her and surprise her with a snack and she would smile at him all softly and sleepily and they would spend another blissful afternoon in the other's company.

He could hear Aro and Caius rushing behind him and the entire family was in Sulpicia's sitting room in an instant. He watched Sulpicia lifting his mate gently and placing her on the couch. He saw, with relief, that she had bonded to their newest sister from the moment she saw her. It eased some of his worry as he saw her smoothing her hands over his mate's face before moving to her arm to inspect what he saw and smelled was a bleeding wound.

He felt rage overcoming him and he turned to his brothers and remaining sister, who looked torn between standing with her mate and joining Sulpicia. She made up her mind and went to Marcus' room to fetch a bandage, which they attempted to use to dress the wound.

"What happened?" Caius questioned Sulpicia.

Marcus was still growling, his words barely audible over the sound. "Please tell me why my mate is unconscious and bleeding on your couch"

Aro began growling quietly at the tone voiced toward his mate and she quieted him with a hand on his arm. "Demetri said Jane found her in the East wing. A visiting nomad had cornered her and was about to kill her before Jane dispatched him. She led your mate back here and Demetri brought her to me for safekeeping however…" she looked uncertain about what she was going to say, her eyes flicking to Corin who was standing in the corner and looking as if she wanted to disappear into the wall.

"Corin ran here to inform me that she had found the body of the nomad. I believe she startled Anna with her speed. She fainted. I do not know where the wound is from, although she had it when she came."

Marcus turned his glare to Corin, snarling softly under his breath. She flinched, still staring at the ground, trying to maintain a submissive pose when all she wanted was to run from the terrifying king. He had been so apathetic for so long, the guard had nearly forgotten that Marcus was the oldest and most brutal of the Volturi kings. Corin was immediately reminded of that now, as she felt certain she would be ashes in a matter of seconds.

"She will be punished," Aro said, "For startling your mate. But you cannot kill her, Marcus. It was an accident. Corin," he addressed her. "Take the nomad to the dungeons. Reassemble him and prepare him for an interrogation."

"Yes, my King," she said, and fled, gratefulness overwhelming her.

Caius was scowling, which was not unusual, however he did not offer his thoughts on the matter which made Marcus even angrier. He should be defending his sister as his mate was doing. He took a deep, unnecessary breath to calm himself.

"Fetch the Doctor," he told Demetri, and carefully picked up his mate to bring her to their rooms. He gently placed her in the bed and tucked the blankets around her. She often seemed to be cold. No matter how hot the fire burned, she was often left shivering in the large, drafty castle. They had never bothered to insulate it for a human's comfort and Marcus cursed himself for that now.

She began to awaken slowly. He noticed her eyelids twitching first, then her breathing increased and she began fidgeting as she did when she was near wakefulness in the morning. His dead heart sunk, however, when she opened her eyes.

The first time she woke up she flinched slightly as soon as she had seen him, hiding the rest of her fear and shock very well for a human. He knew it must've been startling to wake up to a strange man sitting at her bedside, even if it was her mate. This time, however, she whimpered in the way that made his long dead heart ache, and cowered into the bed as her heart rate elevated to a concerning level.

"Please do not fear me, tesoro. I will not hurt you, I swear to you." He tried to make his body language as unthreatening as possible, which was difficult for a predator of his size. He desperately needed his mate not to fear him for it was causing pain like he had not experienced since his own change.

She didn't respond, however neither did she swoon again, which he was thankful for. "I heard you were attacked. I am sure you have many questions… I will attempt to answer them."

He was uncertain of where or how to start and desperately tried to find words to make her understand. He almost cringed. He had not felt this uncertain, this uncomfortable, for as long as he could remember.

"I told you my name was Marcus Volturi as my family's ancestral seat is in Volterra." He saw her nod slightly in confirmation, still cowering into the bed. "It was I who chose Volterra as our home. At that time, it was a small Etruscan town which garnered very little attention from the Roman Empire. I thought it would be perfect for us, as it sits upon a small hill which is usually under cloud cover and allowed us to walk unencumbered amongst the humans."

He saw her flinch as he said "humans," confirming that he was something else. He knew she needed to know this, though, as much as he wished to stop to prevent her further fear. He should've told her already. He chastised himself for allowing her to continue in ignorance for the past week, but it had been so blissful to be with her. His long-perfected self-control shattered where she was concerned.

"I was born long ago in Greece. I understand humans these days do not hold as much value in legends and mythology as they used to..." He paused there, unsure of how to phrase the rest without scaring her. "When I was born, my society was rife with myths and legends. When I was changed, the creature I became was no stranger to me. Now my three brothers and I govern a world humans no longer believe exist, and we ensure it stays that way. It is better for all this way."

He could tell she was torn. She wanted desperately to understand what had just happened, while at the same time, he knew she desperately didn't want to know either.

"I am sincerely sorry you had to learn the way you did. My kind are much faster and stronger than humans. We are attracted to your blood and some find the lure of it difficult to resist at times."

She finally seemed to find her words. "What _are_ you?"

She couldn't understand the look he gave her. It looked almost pained, however he told her, "I am what you would call a vampire, piccola."

"And that man-"

"He was also a vampire. He was not part of our coven, merely visiting our family for a time."

"But… that girl killed him"

His face darkened. "No, she merely incapacitated him. He will be executed, though, for what he did to you."

He could not decipher the look on her face or what she was thinking. He wasn't sure whether he actually wanted to know. He was terrified – something he had not felt in a very long time – that his mate would reject him. He was not sure he would survive that. 3000 years was a very long time to wait for his mate, however he would gladly live that lonely existence again if his other option were being given the other half of his soul only to have it torn away.

The file crackled behind her and she jumped so violently she nearly fell out of the bed. Her head whipped around, seeking out an attacker. She was clearly traumatized from the experience and it broke his heart. "There is no one there, tesoro. It was only the fire. I will protect you. I failed you today, but I will not again."

"Why would you do that? Why am I here," she asked very quietly, looking at her hands. He could smell the fear on her.

He was silent for a long time, long enough that she finally looked up to see the look on his face again - she couldn't quite read it, but she knew it was pain. "A vampire is given only one mate. They are the only other being that exists to make a very long existence bearable and gives them companionship. You, cara mia, are my mate."

She tore her eyes from where they had been intently studying her hands and gaped at him in disbelief. "Is that supposed to be some sort of joke?"

He stared at her and shook his head. "I assure you, I do not joke of this."

"How do you know? How can that even be possible? I'm not a vampire."

"Yes, I was quite shocked as well. However, I assure you, I do not lie. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were my mate."

She must still be in shock, or hallucinating. Her mind couldn't piece together what he was saying in a way that made sense. No matter how attracted to him she was, or how safe she felt with him or what sort of stories he told her, she couldn't be his "mate." Vampires didn't exist. She tried to keep her voice gentle and unthreatening, "I can't be your mate. I hardly even know you."

He smiled softly, more in his eyes than his mouth, and said, "I will wait for you to know me, then. I have waited 3000 years for you, a few more will not hurt."

Her eyes went wide. "3000 years?"

"Approximately, yes."

"So you're telling me you're older than Jesus?"

His lips twitched as if he were trying to hold back a laugh. "Yes."

"The trial of Socrates?"

"It was regretful, of course, but yes."

"The library of Alexandria?"

"Even more regretful… although we did manage to salvage a few of the scrolls, which you have seen."

She made a choked sound and then her eyes went even wider, "Oh my god... that woman… Sulpicia? She was Diana in that Botticelli painting."

He finally chuckled, allowing his smile to light up his entire face. "Yes, my other sister was modelled as Callisto. You have not met her yet but she is the one who I spoke of who organizes the library. She is very charming, I think you will like her."

She had a dazed look on her face at that and he allowed himself to revel in his mate's visage. She was even more beautiful, somehow, when her face was not twisted in fear or shock or apprehension. He wanted nothing more than to make her happy and see her smile for the rest of their days. He knew she would come around. She had to. And he would have 1000 paintings commissioned of her that would rival the ones of his sisters. He would care for her every need and ensure she wanted for nothing. He would guard her all of his days to ensure nothing else hurt her. He would kill anyone who dared try.

"It is dinnertime. Please allow me to get you more food. I do not wish you to be hungry."

She scooted herself into a sitting position and he noted how she flinched when she moved. He would need the doctor to reexamine her to ensure she did not reinjure anything.

He got up, slowly as to not startle her, and retrieved the food Demetri had left in his office for her. He was grateful for the foresight and made a note to thank him for thinking of it.

She ate it slowly and he pretended to read again, wanting to do everything he knew that would put her at ease. Once she was finished, she started looking drowsy but looked to be fighting it.

"You seem to enjoy baths, perhaps you would enjoy one before you retire? You may find it relaxing. I can fetch the nurse for you, if you need assistance."

She cringed. So he had noted her discomfort. She didn't want to seem injured to him. He was either a mythological predator or a very rich, very unbalanced man. And neither put her at ease. She didn't want to seem any more vulnerable than she already was.

"I assure you, I will never do you harm," he reassured her, a sad look on his face.

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm a little on edge tonight… I thought I was done with people trying to kill me but it looks like that was overly optimistic thinking."

He frowned. "When I found you…"

"Yes, how did you find me, by the way?"

"I followed the scent of your blood," he said simply, a blank look on his face. He saw her cringe again. "Someone had hurt you…" his voice trailed off, unsure how to ask.

Her eyes welled up with tears for the second time that day. "A man… he was awful. He kept me locked in his apartment and he beat me if I disobeyed or displeased him. I tried escaping and that's why he…"

He felt anger and pain battling for dominance inside him. "Tesoro… Anna," he spoke her name to her for the first time. "I may be a monster, but I will never, ever harm you. I would rather burn before I laid one hand against you to cause you pain."

He heard her breath catch in her throat. "I don't know why I believe you, but I do."

Her reaction to him was so unnatural, and it was what scared her the most. That man attacking her didn't frighten her nearly as much as the fact that, even knowing Marcus was most likely a fairytale monster, she wanted him more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.

"I will spend the rest of my existence proving to you that I am worthy of your trust."

"You're not lying, are you? You're really some sort of vampire?"

"I have not lied to you about anything, nor will I ever," he told her firmly.

"So if you're a vampire do you… eat people?"

He looked shocked at her question. He hadn't expected her to be so blunt about a subject that would leave most humans uncomfortable. "I do not eat humans, but I feed from them, yes."

"Why aren't your eyes red like that mans and the young girls were?"

"Our eyes turn black when we have not fed recently. When we have, they are red," he was becoming very uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. He didn't want to upset his mate with the subject, though admittedly she did not look or smell so.

"Do you sleep in a coffin?"

He laughed at that, a rich, full-bellied sound that made her tighten in places she had tried to forget existed. He did not miss the smell of her arousal but forced himself to ignore it again, even though it made him instantly hard, craving something much more alluring than blood. He was not about to leave her again for some time if he had any choice in the matter, so he would just have to accustom himself to resisting that sweet temptation. "No, I have not slept in 3000 years, piccola."

"Never? At all?" Finally she was shocked, which, in his estimation, should have been her initial reaction.

"No, I do not need to sleep, eat, drink, or breathe as humans do."

"And your skin? It glowed… and you said the cloud cover allowed you to go unnoticed by humans."

"Yes, I noticed you caught that. Our skin is different than a human's. It is much harder, near indestructible. A newborn vampire's skin reacts with the sunlight differently as well, as it is much brighter. However as we age, our eye colour and skin's reaction become less noticeable."

"And my healing? I'm a doctor, and I have some idea of how injured I was when I came here. I shouldn't be this well already."

"We have some theories about that. I should have known you would notice that as well. We believe my presence has something to do with it. Mates often cause the other's powers to strengthen and it is logical that it would make you stronger and give your body swifter healing capabilities as well."

She looked like she was trying to digest the information and he again tried to seek out a way to find her comfort. "If you have no more questions, I will have the nurse run you a bath."

* * *

Marcus waited as patiently as he could while his mate finished in the bathroom, suddenly very thankful that his sisters had insisted on installing plumbing and a functional bathroom as soon as they were available – had it really already been 100 years? It must be very dated. He would need to update it for her. He decided to ask her once she was finished what she wanted for it. He did not know what sorts of things humans these days needed. His entire rooms would need it, come to think of it. He had not noticed - the woman in the rooms was of much greater interest to him - but he was sure she would. Perhaps that would be something else that would make her happy.

When they were finished in the washroom and the nurse departed again, he returned to his rooms to see her, being sure to knock on the door first. She seemed hesitant as she called for him to come in. Not wanting to startle her, he entered the room slowly, making sure to make noise with his footsteps loud enough for her to hear. She was tucked into bed rubbing some lotion on her arms. Such strange human habits made her all the more charming to him.

He saw a blush colour her cheeks and heard her heartbeat increase when she saw him. He wasn't sure what the cause was and was hoping she was not frightened of him again, although she didn't smell it. She just smelled clean, her sweetness only enhanced by the soaps his sisters had bought for her. He would have to thank them later. His family was being exceedingly helpful. He would also need to apologize to Sulpicia for the tone he used with her. She had been nothing but kind to his mate. But for now, he would watch over her and ensure no further harm befell her. She yawned slightly and he smiled slightly.

"Sleep well, my darling. I will watch over you."

She knew those words should have struck fear into her, but they only calmed her further. She felt safe, secure, cherished… between the warm bath and him dimming the lights, she was asleep before he returned to his chair.


	5. Chapter 5

When she woke up, she was sore all over which she assumed was a result of a mixture of falling twice the day before and this awful, stiff bed. The décor made more sense now, after learning that the man to whom the rooms belonged to was older than many great civilizations, however it didn't make sleeping on this mattress any more comfortable. She didn't know how people did it back then... and this looked like an upscale one too.

He saw her wince as she sat up and was reminded of his plans to remodel. He would ask her about it after she ate. He had already ordered her more food when he heard her heartbeat increasing as she slowly regained consciousness. He had read a volume on human nutrition in the library the day before and took note of how many vitamins and nutrients she needed. He was eager to ensure she was properly cared for, to prove to her that he would be a good mate.

Her sleepy yawns and blinking melted his cold heart as she stretched and tried sitting up in the bed. He was immediately at her side, assisting her and propping her against some pillows and the headboard. She still flinched slightly, but he also smelled calming relaxation in her scent when he touched her.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he smiled softly at her and opened the drapes to allow the fresh morning light on her skin.

She was still clearing her mind of the sleep that was fogging it as she told him she was fine.

"Do you stay here all night? I guess I assumed you usually left at some point to sleep but you told me you don't need to so…"

"Not the entire time. I spent some time in my office. Does that bother you?"

He could see that it did though she denied it. It bothered him that she did not feel comfortable telling him her wants and needs, however she distracted him from his concern when she asked, "What time and day is it, by the way? When I looked out the window yesterday it looked like it was almost Christmas."

"It is 0835 hours on the 10th day of December."

She still looked shocked and he could not resist asking what was wrong.

"It's just – the last time I remember looking at a calendar it was September," she said, frowning now. "I lost the entire fall."

He thought he understood what she meant by that and felt a sinking feeling… she had said that man had locked her in his apartment – did she mean that literally? Had she no idea what time of year it was?

"I wondered whether you would like to pick out new furniture for the room," he offered, hoping she would enjoy the activity. His understanding was that women liked those sorts of frivolities.

"You want me to help you pick out furniture?" she asked, confusion obvious in her tone.

"As I do not use this room for anything other than dressing, and I would be happy to allow you to decorate it as would please you. That is, if you would like to continue staying in them," he offered, hoping she would not leave them.

"Wait, this is _your_ room?" her tone was clearly shocked, although she had to admit it did make sense. The office outside definitely did not look to be part of a generic guest room, and he did say she was his mate so maybe that's why he wanted her in his room. And his sister apparently lived down the hall so it seemed likely this was some sort of family quarters…

He frowned. "Yes, does this bother you?"

"No… I mean, I guess not. I just… didn't realize."

"My sincerest apologies, tesoro. It was not my intention to mislead you."

"You didn't," she felt compelled to reassure him for some reason. She chafed at the idea of being locked in another man's room, even if she did really like this one. "I just don't want to intrude. And we hardly know each other, it doesn't seem appropriate to share a room… even if you don't sleep in it," she stammered. She cringed at how pathetic she sounded. She had been so comfortable with him, but suddenly she felt shaken with this admission that he was a _literal monster._ She felt like she was back with Joseph, constantly second guessing every word, choosing them carefully, making herself as small and submissive as possible to avoid his anger.

She could tell he was disappointed but somehow there was no anger. She had basically flat out rejected him and he wasn't even angry. Unless he was hiding it very well… but no, he did just look genuinely disappointed. Did he really enjoy having her there that much? He did spend the past week almost constantly in her company, so maybe he did. The idea was comforting, thrilling, and terrifying at once.

"Of course. I will arrange for one to be prepared for you," he still looked and sounded absolutely cordial. Respectful even. She had the oddest sense of empowerment surge through her.

"Thank you," she whispered, willing herself not to cry.

He didn't seem to know what to say to her emotional outburst and looked absolutely puzzled. "… you are… welcome…?"

Marcus could smell and see the tears welling in her eyes. He crouched beside the bed, hesitantly reaching for one of her hands.

She watched as his slowly made its way toward hers and lightly grasp it, holding it between both of his. She was shocked by the coolness of them and looked back into his eyes. "I will always respect your wishes. I would do anything to make you happy. Please believe me."

For some reason, she did. But then, shying away from the intensity, she dragged her eyes back away from his and looked at the bed, while avoiding the hand that she could feel so acutely between his, as if every nerve ending in her body was focused on how his skin felt against hers.

"I will send the nurse in to help you dress and arrange for a room. Please do not overexert yourself after your ordeal yesterday, my darling."

He was quickly replaced by the nurse, who brought more clothes with her – leggings and a sweatshirt once again. She realized she had no idea where all these new clothes were coming from and asked her.

" _Signor Volturi, naturalmente_ ," (Mr. Volturi, of course) she replied.

"He bought me all these clothes?"

" _Si_ ," she said, and then seemed uncomfortable, as if there was something she wasn't saying.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Her smile quickly returned, trying to reassure her. " _Nothing, dear. Don't worry yourself. Now let us braid your hair, yes?_ "

Sulpicia was waiting in the hallway when Marcus exited. "We heard what she said and we are arranging for a room in our personal guest quarters. At least this way in the meantime you can update your rooms for when she returns," she smiled at him and he could tell she was trying to reassure him.

He allowed his relief to show. "Thank you, Sulpicia. Are you and Athenodora moving her clothing and things there?"

"Yes, although we both think we should allow her to choose the rest of her clothing and décor. We only ordered basic necessities so she could decide for herself what she wanted. It has been a week now and she has met me, perhaps she can come visit and we can decide together."

"She seemed hesitant about choosing furnishings, but perhaps she will enjoy shopping for clothing," he considered.

"Just give her time. We do not know all of what she has been through, Marcus. Be patient."

He forced a smile. "I know. I only wish I could make it better for her."

"I know, brother. We are all still very anxious to know her, please let her know that whenever she is ready."

"Of course," he said, and she turned down the hall toward the guest rooms, likely planning on how to prepare it for her human sister.

He returned to his study, absentmindedly listening to the nurse inside with his mate. They were doing her usual ablutions and dressing, although he had heard the nurse's hesitance over a question she was going to ask. He would have to talk to her about it. She knew better than to question.

* * *

Anna was staring around at the new room he had shown her too. He had been exceedingly courteous, although he still seemed slightly disappointed. His eyes were not as light as they usually were. She didn't know why, this room was right down the hall… barely 50 feet from the door to his rooms _._ It wasn't as if she was leaving, never to return. While she tried to be critical, she felt an acute loss as well, which she tried to ignore.

She brought herself out of her musings to appreciate where he had brought her – the room was beautiful. Not as large or elegant as his were, but still impressive. And the furniture all seemed to be from her lifetime as well - finally she could sleep on an actual mattress with springs and padding instead of feathers. And she could have a shower, rather than being relegated to an iron claw-foot tub! She sighed happily. 21st century amenities were marvellous and she vowed to never be unappreciative of them again.

She had investigated the closet to find it to be a walk-in, almost as large as the one Joseph had back in his apartment, although not nearly as large as the one in Marcus' rooms. His seemed comically big, more of a dressing room than a place to store clothes. She did not see why anyone would need that much space just for a closet.

There were clothes in a few of the drawers that she assumed to be hers, as they all looked to be her size, and some of which she recognized. There were a few pairs of jeans, soft t-shirts, cardigans, leggings and yoga pants, and a few pajama sets. As well as some sets of underwear, which left her blushing and wondering if he had picked all of this out. She certainly hoped not. The thought of him guessing her bra size was mortifying.

All of them were brands that she knew were very high quality and it concerned her that he was spending that much money on her. Joseph had already dressed her in designer clothes, although those were more for public appearances than anything. He rarely allowed her to wear them when she was in the apartment. And he dressed her that way because she was his possession, and he always took good care of his _things._ Unless they didn't deserve it, of course, or it did not suit him to do so.

She sighed. She shouldn't allow herself to ruminate on such depressing things. She tried to think optimistically. Marcus was certainly strong enough to protect her, from what she had seen, and fast enough, and smart enough, and he had plenty of money. She might actually stand a chance. For the first time in what felt like a very long time, she allowed herself to hope. It felt strange and tight in her chest and, in that moment, she was acutely aware of how terribly human she was, with all its fragility and uncertainty. And for once, she did not curse it.

* * *

She was rereading the copy of Pride and Prejudice when there was a knock at the door. She looked up curiously from the chaise she was on, which was positioned perfectly in front of the window. She had been basking in the luxury of having furniture that was both sumptuous and comfortable, the natural light bathing her in warmth, and a copy of her favourite book. The only thing that would make it better, she thought to herself, was if Marcus was there too.

She got up and padded across the room to open the door, wincing slightly as her leg still stiff from her rough use the previous day. Marcus stood there, smiling at her with his eyes rather than his mouth, as seemed to be his custom. She felt relieved to see him and smiled in return. She hadn't realized how much she had grown used to his presence in the week she had been there. Seeing him again sent a wave of calm through her.

"Good afternoon," she said, ducking her head. She didn't know why she became so shy around him. It wasn't even fear, really, although she was still worried about his admission about being a blood sucking monster.

"Good afternoon, tesoro. How has your morning been?"

"It has been very nice, thank you. This room is amazing. I wanted to thank you for allowing me to use it."

"It is my pleasure. It is almost noon and I wondered whether you would like to eat now that you have settled in."

"That would be lovely, thank you," she said. She felt immensely embarrassed to admit it, even to herself, but she had missed him terribly all morning and was glad he wasn't upset with her choice to move to a different room, as she was already resenting her own choice because of it's resulting in their separation.

"It is awaiting you in my office," he said, leading her out. "I'm afraid I have to apologize for the state of my rooms, however. Sulpicia and Athenodora are insisting I update them, which has resulted in a great deal of turmoil." He seemed very put out by this.

"Marcus," she said softly. "I hope you know you don't have to do that for me. I was fine with them as they were, I really don't want you to do something that makes you uncomfortable because you think it's what I need or want," she trailed off, hoping she didn't sound self-centered by assuming he did it for her.

"It is fine, dear one. They have been pestering me for decades to do it, I was bound to succumb to their nagging eventually," he said, a slight smirk on his face.

He wasn't lying, they looked to be in the midst of a demolition in his bathroom, although there was no one there when she arrived. She was thankful for that, as she wasn't sure she'd be able to eat with vampires surrounding her. She almost shuddered at the thought, thinking of her attack the previous day. Well, except Marcus. She admitted to herself that she was quite fine with his presence.

He sat her at his desk in a comfortable, overlarge ornate chair and sat across from her with another large tome. She was eating the panini in peaceful silence and basking in his presence as he silently read, when he startled her suddenly and began to read aloud. She couldn't understand what he was saying, but understood it was Latin again. It could've been tax documents for all she knew, but when he spoke it with his silky tenor, it sent a shiver down her spine and sounded like the most intimate, erotic thing she had ever heard. She struggled to swallow the bite she had taken as her throat seemed to have frozen in shock.

He paused his reading to remind her to continue eating. It was such a stern, casual command which she should've chafed against, but she didn't even consider disobeying. It was not even fear of him, something inside her merely compelled her to respond, to do as he said.

When she had finished her plate and nursing the glass of juice there was a knock at the study door.

"Enter," Marcus said in a normal speaking tone. She realized their hearing must be very good, as those doors were incredibly thick and she doubted she would even have been able to hear someone shouting on the other side of one. Sulpicia and Athenodora walked in, who Anna knew immediately from her depiction as Callisto. They were both wearing sturdy jeans and flannel shirts with their hair in buns on top of their heads.

Sulpicia smiled at her in a way that she could tell was meant to be friendly, "Hello again, I'm glad to see you are feeling better today."

Anna blushed at the reference to her panic and fainting yesterday. "It is nice to see you again as well."

The blonde woman smiled as well, a large toothy grin which looked extremely predatory to Anna. She was very aware of how much she felt like prey around these ancient, powerful immortals. "I am Athenodora, I do not believe we've been properly acquainted. I am Caius' mate."

"It's nice to meet you, I think I saw you when I was still… er, mostly unconscious."

"Ah! So you remember. Yes, you were asleep for many days. It brings me joy to see you awake and well."

Now that the pleasantries were over, they looked at Marcus all business like.

"Now Marcus," Sulpicia began, "I know you said you do not like showers-"

"They are a noisy, unseemly waste of water," he groaned, as if this wasn't the first time they had had this conversation.

Both women suddenly turned to look at her. "Anna, don't you like showers? I'm sure you would like to have the option, would you not?"

Anna froze, not expecting this line of questioning. "Um… yes, I guess I like to have showers but-"

"See Marcus, it is settled. It is what your mate wants," Athenodora said, with a note of finality. "Now look at these tile samples and tell us which colour palette you like best."

She placed a stack of tiles on the desk and both she and Sulpicia disappeared into the bedroom.

"I think they just used me to win their argument," Anna said thoughtfully.

Marcus sighed. "They're a force of nature, that is certain."

"Well, this aquamarine one is pretty at least," she said, holding up one of the samples.

Even though she had finished her lunch and had no reason to stay in his study, Anna made no move to leave nor did Marcus encourage her to. He led her to the group of chairs in front of the fire, which he had already banked up, and pushed Jane Austen's Emma towards her. She blushed, realizing he had noticed her taste in literature and found her a book she might enjoy.

They had been sitting together and reading silently for an hour when Sulpicia poked her head out from the door. "Anna, would you like to come to my rooms after your dinner later? We often congregate there in the evenings to discuss the days happenings and spend time together."

It was such an intimately domestic scene, Anna was a little shocked to have found it in a coven of vampires.

"That would be nice. Thank you for the invitation," Anna said, blushing slightly. As intimate and kind as the offer was, she felt a little strange intruding on their family's private time. When Sulpicia had closed the door again Anna whispered to Marcus, "Will I not be intruding? I don't want to interfere where I don't belong…"

He gave her a strange look. "Why would you be intruding? You are my mate. You belong in our family." The finality of the tone struck her and, while she still didn't quite understand, she didn't argue.

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

Between the roaring fire and the deeply rooted peace she felt by being with Marcus, Anna knew she must've fallen asleep at some point. The next thing she knew, late afternoon light was pouring through the window in her bedroom and Marcus was sitting in one of the plush white velvet chairs, looking as if he were deep in thought. When she looked at him, he immediately snapped out of it and turned to her with a soft smile.

"I hope you are not upset I brought you here, you did not look very comfortable in that chair," he said with a soft smile.

"No, of course not. Thank you," she said shyly, scooting up in bed and leaning against the many plush throw pillows.

"Your dinner should be here momentarily and then, if you still feel up to it, we can visit with my family."

She felt a growing anxiety but attempted to quash it. He had been nothing but kind and gracious to her. The least she could do was meet his family. Besides, his sisters had seemed nice enough as well, even if they were extremely beautiful and intimidating. She ended up picking at her dinner, struggling to eat it all because her stomach seemed to turn to stone with her nerves.

He seemed to sense her anxiety and did not instruct her to eat all of it as he usually would, which she was thankful for. Once she put her fork down to indicate she was done, he was offering her his arm and leading her out back into the familiar hallway.

He knocked on their door solely for Anna's benefit and Aro answered it swiftly, smiling cheerfully at both of them. Marcus narrowed his eyes. He would have to tell him not to smile so broadly, as he knew it made humans uncomfortable - he also knew that Aro was well aware of this fact, having used it to his advantage often.

"Good evening Marcus, I see you have finally decided to share your lovely guest with us," he motioned them to come inside.

Anna was wide eyed at the sight of him. He had bright red eyes, although his did not frighten her as much as the other man's had. Aside from that, he looked very similar to Marcus. He was also dressed in a formal suit with robes over top of them, as Marcus always was, and he had dark hair that he wore pulled back. He also had similar features – a strong nose and cheekbones, with cushiony lips. Their faces both looked a little strange to her somehow, as if the arrangement of features was not exactly what she was used to, which made sense if they were both thousands of years old. Dominant traits and what is considered beautiful had certainly changed in that time.

Anna peeked around, not having taken much in the last time she was there. The room behind Aro appeared to be a very large living area, with a desk in one area surrounded by bookshelves, another workspace with a pristine MacBook on it, and a sitting area surrounding a fire. There were large windows letting in the soft orange light from the sunset and illuminating the three other people who were sitting by the fireplace. They glowed slightly the way Marcus did in the sunlight and she recognized the other man from her brief period of consciousness when she had first been brought here. Anna was immediately wary of him. He looked angry, as if he did not want to be there, and she knew she did not want to cross him if she could avoid it.

Sulpicia stood up and came over to greet them. She had removed her work clothes and was in a beautiful white cocktail length gown with navy blue lace overlaid with a slight lustre to it that contrasted nicely with her glowing skin. She was exceedingly graceful, as if she glided across the floor, rather than walking.

She smiled invitingly, showing her perfect white teeth. It was achingly beautiful and her smile was not malicious whatsoever, but at the same time Anna was once again acutely aware that this woman was a predator baring her teeth to her. Her instincts were much more alarmed by these creatures than they had ever been from Marcus, though still not as badly as they were with the other man.

If Sulpicia noticed Anna's fear, she did not acknowledge it. Instead, she greeted her warmly, "Hello, dear. I am glad you could make it. I see you have finally met Aro, my husband." She gestured toward the male who had opened the door.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Aro," she blushed slightly, but reached out her hand to shake Aro's, trying to maintain pleasantries despite wanting to flee the den of predators. He seemed pleasantly surprised by the offer, having not expected her human sister to offer to touch her. They all could tell she very was wary of them. It was only natural as she was still human, after all.

"Please, won't you come sit?" Sulpicia gestured to where the two blondes were sitting on the couch. They sat so regally, even when reclining. The man sat with one arm on the couch and the other around Athenodora, watching her exchange with Sulplicia and Aro intently. Athenodora was leaning into him, her hands folded in her lap and her legs crossed daintily at the ankles. As Anna approached, they both stood and she smiled happily at the human, being sure not to show her teeth again, as she suspected that had made the poor girl uneasy.

"Good evening, Athenodora," she offered, practically clinging to Marcus' arm in the face of the terrifying blonde man.

"Hello again Anna. Please, call me Dora. This is my mate, Caius," she offered.

Anna blushed and forced herself not to stare at the ground or crawl up into a ball in a corner somewhere. "I am pleased to meet you, Caius."

"Please, sit," Dora motioned to the couch across from them. Anna sat on it carefully, very self-conscious of her lack of grace compared to them, as well as her inappropriate attire. They all seemed as if they came straight from the pages of an upscale fashion spread, whereas she was just wearing another pair of leggings and an oversized sweater. It was functional, but it left her feeling even more inadequate when confronted with their perfection.

Marcus sat next to her, close enough that she felt protected and comforted but not close enough to send her into a full blown panic. She wasn't sure her nerves could take his close proximity at that moment. Sulpicia and Aro arranged themselves on the couch next to them.

"So," Sulpicia began. "How are you feeling? I understand you are still recovering from some injuries."

Anna adjusted her sleeves self consciously, making sure the healing scrapes were covered. Her ribs and leg were sore, but nothing she couldn't handle. "Oh, I'm fine. It wasn't that bad."

Suplicia frowned a little at her trying to downplay it, "And you are healing well? Do you have any residual pain?"

Anna forced a smile and looked down at her lap uncomfortably, "The doctor assures me I am healing very well. I am not in too much pain."

"I am pleased to hear that," she smiled at her, dropping the subject.

"I heard you have been visiting the library," Dora spoke up, trying to find a topic of conversation she would enjoy. "How did you enjoy that?"

Anna brightened considerably to the surprise of the others and they were all thrilled that they had found a subject that didn't leave the poor girl cringing into the couch and smelling of embarrassment.

"Yes, it was incredible! I have never even heard of a privately-owned library that was anything like it before. I'm not even sure there are many public libraries that could rival it either. Your collection of first editions is astonishing – I mean, I've never even heard of a first edition of Nostradamus," she shook her head in amazement. "And your scroll collection! From the library of Alexandria? I took some classics courses in my undergrad and I can only imagine what the scholarly community would do if they had any idea any of this was here. I certainly never could have dreamed of such a thing."

They were all stunned by her speech. Even in her conversations with Marcus she had never been that vocal. She realized they were all gaping for her and with a sinking feeling she realized she had likely overstepped. She flushed with shame. She should've known better than to talk. They likely thought she were some stupid silly fawning girl.

Dora was the first to recover and smiled reassuringly at her. "I am happy to finally have found kindred soul who shares my enthusiasm for the library," she said. "If you ever need help finding a book or with a translation, please do not hesitate to ask me. I am always happy to find another enquiring mind. Marcus has never had much interest in languages either, so you must come to me if you find you need some more competent help." She smirked slightly at her brother as she said it.

"Thank you," Anna was back to blushing and staring at her hands in mortification.

"Would you like some tea?" Sulpicia asked. She knew some humans found the drink calming, and she very much wanted to comfort the girl who was clearly very self-conscious.

"No, please don't worry about me. I'm fine, but thank you," she was fidgeting uncomfortably under their scrutiny.

"Is there anything else you need? We hope you enjoy your new room, although you must want to redecorate. It is so plain! I could help you with that, if you wish," Sulpicia offered, a little more enthusiastically than Anna thought she should have been. "Interior design is one of my hobbies. I decorated most of the castle."

"We could also help you buy some more clothes," Dora added, similarly seeming very excited about the offer. "We got you the basics, but you definitely need some more. We can shop online for now – what an _excellent_ innovation that was – and go on a trip when you're fully recovered!" She seemed very excited at the notion, though it only made Anna more frightened. Outside where Joseph could find her? Not likely.

"Oh, really I'm okay with what I have. It's more than enough, actually. You've been so very gracious. I couldn't think to ask anything more of you."

"But of course we are offering! We both do like a new project!"

"I-"

They were both smiling at her so hopefully and Anna knew she was outnumbered. "I-I suppose if _you_ want."

"Yes, we certainly do! I will stop by your room later with some designs, how does that sound? You can tell me what style you like and oooh- I saw the most perfect Guy de Rougement side tables the other day."

Anna could see Sulpicia was already planning and was happy to have made her happy, despite her reluctance for having them expend any more money or energy on her.

"I will bring my laptop as well," Dora said. "We will get you your own, of course, but for now you can just use mine."

The men sat by and watched their wives work the girl over, succumbing to their lovely charms as everyone else did. Caius was only managing to withhold his distaste for her because of his wife's fondness. He did not want to upset her, or Marcus, so he kept his opinions to himself and did not say anything.

She was just so frail, graceless, and her heartbeat and the sounds her body made were terribly distracting. He did not understand why the rest of his family seemed so taken with her.

He was thankfully relieved of needing to act _human_ as to not frighten her when Marcus said she should likely rest after yawning a few times and led her back to their rooms. He sighed. What a little inconvenience. But even he could not deny the change in his brother was a relief.

* * *

Anna took deep breaths, trying to centre herself after that encounter. Those – could she call them people? – had been so intimidating. And they wanted to help her redecorate and buy some clothes? How strange. They weren't anything like she might've imagined, though. She thought they would all be like the brooding blonde male – Caius was his name, she remembered. But instead they were friendly and obviously trying very hard to make her feel welcome.

She looked around the room. She was actually a little sad to see it change – especially the chaise near the window. It was so classic, not exactly warm or anything, but at least it wasn't the ultra-modern furniture that was in Joseph's apartment. His was all so sterile, no feeling whatsoever, no comfort… it was exactly like his personality.

She sat in the chaise and considered her predicament. At first she thought she would just want to recover and leave, but now she found herself genuinely enjoying staying there. She didn't even want to leave to go shopping. It felt truly… safe. The word was almost foreign to the tongue.

And it wasn't even the beautiful room or the clothes. Sure, she had never had such nice clothes before…ever. The ones she had been forced to wear by Joseph had always been uncomfortable, gaudy, and certainly nothing she found attractive. And before him she had been a poor student, barely scrounging enough money together to make the month's rent, let alone buying pretty clothing… and sure, the castle was stunning. She was sure she could go a year without looking at the same beautiful work of priceless art twice.

But no, it was _him._ He was hot. She couldn't deny it. No one could deny it. He was Adonis, if Adonis had better style and a voice that could make everything below her navel tighten. And apparently he wanted _he_ r. Clumsy and untrusting and broken as she may be. He seemed content just sitting with her. She never could've imagined she would find someone who could just sit and read as she could. And he was so kind and generous and patient. It made sense that he was immortal, as she couldn't imagine any human ever being that perfect.

There was a knock at the door, which she assumed to be Sulpicia and Athenodora. She answered it and let them in, once again overcome by how inadequate she felt in their presence. If nothing else hadn't convinced her there was something strange going on here, their otherworldly beauty would have.

"Good afternoon," Sulpicia began, looking around. "I have always enjoyed this room. It gets very nice morning light and has lots of potential. Tell me, how do you feel about French country style?"

"Errr…"

"I've been thinking we need to really play up the light, and there is so much we could do with the space. Perhaps keep the bed where it is, but a different bed frame… maybe something like this," she showed her pictures of bed frames that all looked stunning to Anna.

"Whatever you think will look best, I'm sure I will love it," she said.

"And egg shell blue definitely…"

"Let's leave her to that. I brought you some websites to browse from. Pick whatever you like," Dora said encouragingly.

"What kind of budget should I stick to?"

"No budget, just get whatever you want," Sulpicia offered without looking up from what she was sketching.

"But-"

Dora laughed. "You have seen enough of our home by now to know money is no object, no?"

Anna felt uncomfortable at the prospect and told herself that she would only get absolute necessities. She would only need a few more pairs of jeans, maybe a few more shirts and some comfortable dresses-

"And just make sure you look at some formal dresses, for when we entertain."

"Entertain?"

"Oh, yes. We have many friends and visitors! The Elie Saab spring line would look marvellous on you! We can pick them up next time we go on a shopping trip."

"O-okay"

Marcus returned shortly after. Even though he had been listening the entire time, he missed being close to her and could not wait any longer to be with her again. It had only been one day and he was already beginning to curse having her in separate rooms…

He brought food with him. He knew he might be pushing her a little on the matter, but we wanted her to put more weight on. She looked much too thin to him - he wanted her to be healthy. She seemed happy to see it, though, and his heart warmed in the hope that she was also happy to see him.

"Did you enjoy your time with Athenodora and Sulpicia?" he asked as she ate.

"Yes, they're very kind. It's very nice of all of you to do this for me. I don't know how I'll ever repay you."

"You don't ever have to repay us. We only want you to be happy. That is enough payment for us," he told her. He could tell she did not believe him. And why should she? Clearly she had been made to believe she was not deserving of happiness.

She didn't respond and focused on her food instead. He reached for the copy of Pride and Prejudice she had been reading to give her privacy. It was quite a good story, in his estimation. For a romantic work, anyhow. He was halfway through it when she finished and he placed the book back down on the table.

"Have you read it before," she asked him, nodding at the book.

"I have, yes. Do you enjoy Austen's work?"

"Yes, she's probably one of my favourite authors. And the Bronte sisters, of course. Jane Eyre is probably my absolute favourite book."

"What do you like about it?" he queried curiously. These sorts of things were always telling about a person, and he wanted to know everything about her.

"I guess… it is the passion. And the way she describes it, it is almost palpable," she said, and he could hear the sincerity in her voice. "I have always wanted to experience something like it for myself," her cheeks immediately coloured bright red and he assumed she hadn't meant to say as much. Her reaction was terribly adorable to him.

"Who is your favourite author," she asked very quickly, likely trying to divert his attention.

He considered the question. He hadn't really thought of it before. "I quite enjoyed watching the performances of Euripides. Humans are fascinating creatures, and the ones in theatre were even more so. The Greeks thought that humanity needed an outlet in which to emote, and that is what their theatre was used for. It was amusing seeing grown men weeping over a character on a stage."

She smiled at his slight smirk. "I suppose our theatre has been heavily influenced by yours."

"It has been, yes."

"You must have many stories," she mused absentmindedly.

"Indeed, and I will tell you them all, in time," he said, smiling in return.

She couldn't help the goofy grin that was taking over her face. He made her feel so light. As if her heart was not weighed down with grief and fear. It was refreshing and she basked in it before a yawn overtook her and she realized how exhausted she was. She didn't want to go to sleep, though. She was scared she would leave again and so she fought it.

"Would you tell me one now?"

He smiled, seemingly happy at the request. "If you would like. Let's see… how about the time that Sulpicia impersonated Calliope and accidentally inspired the Cypria?"

She laughed, delighted at the thought, "Yes, please do tell!"

The story was hilarious and Anna could see how a poet may have been inspired to write the Judgement of Paris after Sulpicia told him about hers and Dora's beauty competition, although Marcus omitted the various humans they each had killed in their tantrums when they lost.

Anna must have fallen asleep part way through as the next thing she knew, Marcus was lifting her and carrying her to the bed. When he carefully laid her down, she sighed happily and nuzzled into the covers.

She could feel him withdrawing his arms though and she desperately didn't want him to leave. She grabbed a hand and held onto it and in her sleepy haze she heard herself ask, almost begging, "Please don't leave me."

She felt him sit on the bed and responded in a near whisper, "Never."

And then she drifted back into unconsciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Calliope: The Muse of epic poetry. Muses were considered to have inspired poets into writing their genre of poetry and were often invoked at the beginning of the work.
> 
> Cypria: The first epic poem in the Trojan War cycle, which we, unfortunately, don't have a copy of. It set the stage for how Helen was stolen and why all the Greeks were going to war to retrieve her.
> 
> Judgement of Paris: An episode in the Cypria. It explained why Paris came to have Helen. Apparently, there was a golden apple that was "for the most beautiful woman" that all the goddesses wanted and they agreed to have Paris, a Trojan prince, decide who would get the apple. Hera offered him dominion over the world, Athena offered him military strength, and Aphrodite offered him the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. He chose Helen because he was dumb so Aphrodite got the apple and he got a bunch of angry Greeks on his ass


	7. Chapter 7

"Anna that man is looking at you again!" Miette exclaimed, her French accent even more pronounced with her excitement. They were sitting in a small American coffee shop in the middle of a busy Lagos market. The sounds of business surrounded them as merchants advertised their wares and struck deals.

The man in question was handsome. He had dark hair, a permanent 5'oclock shadow, and lips that curved wickedly. But he always made her uncomfortable, despite how much Miette seemed to like him. There was just something about him that put her on edge, and she was quite certain he was not as harmless as he might seem. Call it a gut instinct, woman's intuition, whatever, but she didn't trust him.

She had seen him a few times when she had been in the market in the months she had been there. He always stared directly at her, his gaze smouldering and unwavering. Like all the other times this had happened before, she refused to acknowledge it, not wanting to encourage him. Instead, she ignored him in favour of the tea she was sipping. "Ignore it, Miette," she said warningly.

"But he is so handsome! Why don't you talk to him? We all need to have a whirlwind romance when we're halfway across the world."

"I didn't come here to date!"

"The Italians though," she said, and kissed her fingers. "They are magnifico!"

"You are insatiable," She laughed. "Now come on, let's get back to the hospital. I'm working the night shift tonight."

Miette sighed. "Fine, but you Americans are no fun."

* * *

"Paging Dr. Rogers! Dr. Rogers to room 312."

She sighed and looked longingly at her half-finished sandwich. It was the middle of the afternoon and the hospital was bustling with activity. There was no telling who or what would be in room 312 and she had to trample down the unprofessional excitement that threatened to bloom. There was always an opportunity to learn here and she had to remind herself that it probably wasn't polite to seem excited about someone's injury or illness. Or, considering the gang violence that had been occurring lately, a gunshot wound.

A nurse was at the bedside of the dark haired man from the market, taking blood and giggling at something he had said. He didn't appear injured and as soon as she walked in the door, he turned to look at her and his eyes bored into her.

The nurse turned as well and looked a little flustered. "Ah, _Pẹlẹ o_ (hello) Dr. Rogers! I'll just be one more minute with this sample."

Anna smiled at her and nodded and she took the time to look at his chart. He was listed as a Mr. Acerbi, 32-year-old male who came in with chest pains 15 minutes ago… apparently, an elite client who was fast tracked. The nurse finished and rushed to leave the room, apparently embarrassed she'd been caught flirting with the patient.

She forced a smile at him once she was gone and closed the door. "Good afternoon, Mr. Acerbi. How are you feeling?"

"I am well, thank you." He gave her what she thought should have been a winning smile to anyone else but only made her want to cringe. "And yourself?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Then, not wanting to make small talk or spend any longer than she had to with this man, she got to the point, "So your chart says you're having chest pains. How long have you been having them?"

"That is correct. It's been a few hours now, I suppose."

He seemed shockingly blasé to her for someone in an emergency room with chest pains and definitely seemed to be paying an uncomfortable amount of attention to her. He was sprawled confidently over the gurney, his eyes flicking from her chest to her face. "I'll just have a listen to your heart then, and we should run a few more tests as well. Your blood pressure seems fine but I want to err on the side of caution."

She approached the bed cautiously, for some reason her instincts were on high alert around him. "This will be a little cold," she said and reached to place the stethoscope against his chest.

He let out a gust of breath at the feel of it, with a bit of a moan that she was certain was intentional and likely meant to be enticing. She could feel his eyes on her face as she concentrated on the steady beating of his heart. Nothing seemed amiss here either.

"Perhaps your pulse too," she said, her smile a little strained. She continued avoiding his eyes as she placed her hands on his wrist to feel his pulse, choosing to focus on her watch and count instead.

"I don't hear anything wrong with your heart, but I would like to rule out heart attack to be on the safe side. I'm going to order an ECG to be sure. It shouldn't be more than a few minutes."

He didn't say anything, just continued to watch her in a way that unnerved her. "I'll be back to read the results as soon as it's finished," she said as she slipped out of the room.

As she suspected, the results came back normal. She headed back to his room, a little grudgingly if she was being honest. "Well, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with your heart, Mr. Acerbi. It could just be heartburn. You can try taking some antacids to see if that helps but you should be free to go. Please come back if the pains come back or worsen."

"Of course." He didn't seem at all bothered that he had just wasted an hour in the emergency room for nothing. "Thank you for your time, Dr. Rogers," he told her and got up. Everything he did appeared to be sinuous, smooth, as if he were trying to seduce her. The thought made her a little nauseous.

That was the last time she saw him, before it happened.

* * *

She woke with a gasp. Her eyes desperately searched around her, seeking danger, expecting to be in that same awful white room with walls that were constantly closing in on her. It took her a moment to realize she wasn't there. She was safe now… or as safe as she ever would be. Even if it was in a coven of vampires. It took her another moment to realize that there were arms wrapped around her middle with her back pressed against someone. At the same time as she turned to look behind her, she heard Marcus tell her, "It is only me. Don't be afraid."

She squirmed out of his grasp as she tried to catch her breath and quell her panic. It was only Marcus, she reminded herself. He wouldn't hurt her. He was safe.

He backed away slowly, clearly trying to show her he meant no harm or make sudden movements to startle her, although still with that damned grace he always had. She saw that his usually impeccable suit was rumpled as if he had been lying there that entire time.

Her head was still spinning from the dream. It had seemed so real. She had worked so hard to forget those memories, to forget everything except staying alive in that moment, never thinking beyond or behind it. It had made it almost bearable, at least. The clinical part of her brain reminded her that this made sense. She was finally in a place where she could begin processing everything, and that's when the nightmares would come.

It was one of the cruel ironies of survival. She had seen it too many times before. Someone who survived horrifying ordeals and had seemed so strong and resilient - almost unbreakable - only to become haunted and live in fear of their own shadows for the rest of their lives.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of those thoughts. She looked back over at him and saw him watching her almost sadly.

"Sorry," she whispered, looking down in shame. "I didn't mean to force you to stay here all night. I'm so sorry to have disturbed you."

"That is not a bother to me, tesoro. I would stay with you all night, for as long as you want me to."

She was still whispering, unable to look at him again but needing to know. Needing to ask. Needing reassurance in some way, "But why would you want to do that? Don't you have something better to do?"

He was silent for a while and she peeked her head up to look at him. He was considering her with his held tilted, as if contemplating what he wanted to say. When he saw he had her attention, he began slowly, "I have told you, you are my mate. You are the other half of my soul. I would do anything for you. There is nothing better for me than being with you, however you want me."

"But why me? I don't understand."

"I am 3000 years old, piccola. I am an immortal who has likely seen more than anyone else, including my brothers and sisters. And yet I still do not deign myself worthy to question the will of the gods. I do not ask why, I only accept what they have ordained for me. You are my mate, there is no why."

Her eyes burned and her lip trembled as if she wanted to cry and she bit it punishingly, relishing in the pain. Pain was so much easier to deal with than this uncertainty. She knew how to work with it, how to mould it into something productive. Faster than she could discern, his hands were on her face, dragging her lip from her teeth. She flinched at the sudden movement and touch and let it go on instinct. Again, quicker than she could see his hands were back at his sides.

Her heart sunk and her head swam. She felt so conflicted – terrified, sad, hopeful, apprehensive. She felt as if she were falling off a cliff too quickly to catch herself but even worse was that she felt as if she allowed herself to fall, he would catch her and she would be home. Her mind was reeling. She was so close to giving into those newly awakened instincts that compelled her to trust him, to show him the blackest, most rancid parts of her soul and seek relief from him. It cooed to her that he could fix it if she would only let him…

There were no tears when she broke, only sobs that racked through her body like a vice. She crumpled and felt his arms around her, his soothing voice telling her words she could not make out. They sounded like Latin, Ancient Greek, Italian, a jumble of sounds that did not make any sense to her ears. She was unable to wade through the intensity of the emotion, and finally surrendered to it.

She didn't know how much time had passed while she wept. He did not shy away at all during that time, though. He held her across his lap, her head buried in his shoulder and a hand rubbing her back comfortingly. It brought her back to her childhood, before the world had become such a terrifying stranger, when her mother had done something similar to comfort her.

She finally exhausted herself, eventually drifting back into an uneasy sleep. He did not let her go once that night.

While she slept, Marcus replayed every moment with her in his head. The times when she had been unconscious, just lying in his bed like a corpse with the machines doing the work for her at times to breath, feed her, empty her bladder, all the things that she could not do in that moment that kept herself alive. He could not even find it in him to be bothered by the noises they made or when they made her smell strangely with the blood transfusions. They kept her there with him. How could he resent that?

She had still been the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on, even covered in bruises with matted hair and her eyes closed. When she awoke, he had not ever even realized something could feel this way. It was as if his heart had grown, changed even, after 3000 years of being cold dead stone, it yielded to her. Something he thought to be impossible for something such as himself, that had not altered even infinitesimally in 3000 years. And yet, here she was. So soft and delicate and commanding his very existence with just a look, bending him to fit her.

And when she cried as she did, he did not know something could hurt that much, as if he were sharing her pain. It echoed through him. It haunted him. How could his mate feel such things? How could he have allowed it to happen? How could he put her back together again?

He adjusted her so they were lying again with her back tucked securely against him. She felt so small in his arms, so incredibly precious and breakable. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled her scent. It was perfect. He had controlled his bloodlust centuries ago, but even if he had not he did not think he would find her scent appealing in that way. It was alluring, but it did not enflame his hunger. It smelled like home to him, a place where he was finally at peace.

He realized then that he was purring, something his brothers and sisters had always been able to do when they were most content with their mates. He had never accomplished it himself, had never felt compelled to. Until her. She sighed a little at the sound, burrowing herself further into his embrace. She always seemed to be much more affectionate in her sleep, less restrained by her suspicion and fear. He only hoped that soon she would feel more comfortable being that way when she was conscious as well.

When she awoke in the morning, she stretched sleepily and startled more awake when she realized she was being held again. She squeaked in surprise and he reluctantly withdrew his arms so she could turn to face him. Her heartbeat was racing and he could smell the scent of her fear.

"Oh," she breathed. Oh god, last night wasn't a dream. Her face coloured a deep red and she felt a rush of shame. What had she done? He must think her some stupid weeping girl now. And she had practically flung herself at him, forcing him to take care of her.

"Piccola, whatever you are thinking, it is not true," he told her, his deep voice bit through all her worries. She dared to look at him and saw that his face did not seem angry or upset. It looked… hopeful.

"I'm just so sorry for putting all of that on you," she said.

"You did no such thing. I hope one day you will believe me when I tell you that there is nothing you could do that would be a bother to me."

Her heart threatened to explode at that, but her stomach beat her to it, rumbling its dissatisfaction. She blushed even deeper and she saw that he smiled. But not in a mocking or cruel way, he seemed… charmed. Was that the word when someone found another interesting or attractive, even when their bodies made embarrassing noises?

"I will go find you some breakfast."

She allowed herself to watch him as he went, blushing when she realized she was checking him out. She couldn't help it, though. He was perfect. It made sense that he was not human, as she did not think any human could be quite so beautiful or graceful or tempting.

She took the time in his absence to get out of bed and attend to her human needs in the washroom. She wasn't sure what his hearing range was like but she certainly didn't want him hearing that.

When she returned to the room he still wasn't back so she went to the closet to find something to wear for the day. She wasn't sure what was on the agenda and went for a simple long sleeved shirt, jeans, and the moccasin slippers she had been wearing to keep her feet warm. It made her feel a little more presentable than the cozy sweaters and leggings. And to think it would likely only get colder as winter progressed… her poor feet were going to freeze. She found herself wondering how people even lived like this before? And without modern medicine when they inevitable got sick? It was a miracle their species had lasted as long as it did.

Once she was finished dressing she heard a knock on the door and went to answer it. She couldn't deny that she appreciated that everyone always knocked before entering a room. Privacy was something she had also missed dearly in the last year.

It was Marcus, he seemed to have changed into a fresh suit and was holding a tray that looked to be frittata. Her stomach growled again at the sight and she briefly wondered who was making all this delicious food but that train of thought was overshadowed with how excited she was to actually eat it.

As she was eating at the small sitting area, having mostly gotten used eating in Marcus' presence in the last few days, she eyed the newspaper in his hands. It was in Italian and while her conversational Italian was much better than written, she could make out the headlines.

He noticed her looking at it and laid it out in front of her without a word. She looked at him for a moment in appreciation before turning her attention back to it. In the long hours alone in that room when she was being punished, she often wondered what was going on in the world. She almost made a game out of it, thinking about the different areas and their current events and how they were all interconnected. She had tried so hard to keep her sanity in there.

When she was finished eating he gathered the tray once again and carried it out of the room. She was beginning to feel a little guilty about it. She was his guest; he should not have to wait on her like a servant.

"You don't have to do that," she said when he sat back down.

"Do what?"

"Bring me food, take the tray away, all those things… I can take care of myself. I feel like I must be such a nuisance to you."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. It is not a bother for me."

She felt herself blushing, though she wasn't sure whether it was out of embarrassment or something else.

He was looking at her speculatively with a small smile on his face but he did not comment on it, instead he told her, "I have business I must attend to this morning, however Athenodora and Sulpicia have offered to take you to the library if you like. I believe they are expecting the clothing you ordered to be delivered this morning as well. I will see you again at your noontime meal, though."

"O-oh, okay. That would be nice," she said. She didn't know why she felt almost saddened by the thought of being separated him, and a spike of anxiety went through her at the thought of the last time she was separated from him. She barely knew him and yet she was already so dependent on him and felt as if she never wanted to be away from him.

Was this what "mating" was? It felt like her entire psyche had wrapped itself around him. She wanted to be bothered by it, but she knew she couldn't muster the emotion. She was basking in it. She loved having him affect her so thoroughly. It felt _right._

His presence was a source of such comfort. Even if she wasn't unnaturally bonded to him she thought she would have enjoyed being around him. He was well spoken, without being invasive or bothersome. He was exceedingly attentive and always made her feel as if he was genuinely interested in her and her company. And he smelled and looked _really_ good.

She was distracted when he got up, knelt beside her, and slowly, lightly, took her hand and pressed his lips to it. She felt a tingle travel from the tips of her toes up her spine at the sensation. All the nerve endings in her hand seemed to come alive at that moment and buzzed at her.

"Until then, Tesoro," he said, and left.

* * *

As soon as he was out of her sight, he ran to the guard's quarters in the west wing. Demetri was sparring with Felix in the training however they both stopped and bowed their heads in respect to him as soon as they saw him.

"Leave us," he said to Felix. The man fled instantly.

Demetri waited, knowing this king likely had a task for him. He was often chosen for special assignments by the kings - he was not only a great tracker, but he was a respected and trusted member of the guard. It was a point of pride for him. While the lower guard cowered when singled out by their masters, he swelled with pride. He was flattered they trusted him with personal delicate matters, and it had its perks as well, he thought, remembering his opulent chambers and first pick at the food when it arrived.

"I need you to find someone for me. Follow him. Tell me everything you observe. I will give further instruction when I receive your report."

"Right away, Master."

Marcus handed him a piece of paper and nodded his head. "Your service is appreciated."

Demetri took the paper, looked it over, and bowed once more. "It is my honour."

"I must take my leave now, as I have a meeting. Good day."


	8. Chapter 8

There was another knock on the door a few minutes after he had left. She was tidying up the room, making the bed, clearing the surfaces and trying to keep it generally presentable for her hosts. They were always immaculate and she couldn't help feeling a little inadequate in comparison. She didn't want them to think she was a slob on top of being obviously inferior in appearances and strength .

She answered it and found a cheerful looking Dora and Sulpicia, who she ushered in and invited to sit in the living room area together. Anna watched as the two sisters glided down into the chairs gracefully, as if the chairs had been placed exactly there to catch their pristine presence.

"Good morning, Anna," Sulpicia said, and folded her hands in her lap. And yet despite their grace and poise, they all managed to make everything look so natural and relaxed. Their perfection was almost frustrating. "How did you sleep?"

Their manners were always perfect too. It was almost enough to give her a headache. "I slept very well, thank you. How was – er – your night?"

"It was pleasant, thank you." She smiled warmly, "I'm sure Marcus has told you that we only have you for the morning, so we really should not linger for too long. I have completed the blueprint for your room, if you would like to look it over and approve it. I do hope you like it! And we are expecting your clothing to be delivered today as well, which you should try on to be sure it fits!"

Athenodora cut in, "And Marcus said you might enjoy going to the library? Perhaps you would like a new book, rather than just reading that one over again." She nodded toward the copy of Pride and Prejudice on the table. "I can certainly give you some recommendations if you like! The doctor would also like to see you to see how you are feeling."

"That all sounds nice, thank you for taking the time to do this. But if you have something better to do, I understand."

The way she always seemed to think she was a bother unsettled the sisters. They knew they needed to sort her self-esteem out before she changed so she did not wind up with this neuroses for all eternity. It was much harder to change such permanently entrenched parts of the psyche once you were immortal, which they were mindful of.

"We'll hear nothing of the sort! You are our priority today," Dora said firmly. "Should we start in the library?"

The walk to the library was much longer than she remembered as her stamina seemed to have disappeared with all the weight she had lost. She tried to focus on the beautiful paintings around her again in order to distract her from how tired she was. She desperately missed Marcus' steadying arm. She hadn't realized how much she relied on it until it was gone.

"Marcus said you were quite enamoured with our Botticelli," came Sulpicia's voice.

Anna welcomed the distraction and tried not to sound out of breath as she answered, "Yes, it really is exquisite. I have always wanted to visit the Uffizi and see the Birth of Venus myself but I never dreamed I would get such a close look at an original Botticelli."

"We will have to take you there sometime. It is a favourite of mine. I think you will love Fra Fillipo Lippi's Madonna and Child too," she smirked at Athenodora. "You may even recognize her."

"I would enjoy that a lot," Anna said, hardly even listening to the words as she was focussing all her attention on being mindful to breathe through her nose and out through her mouth steadily, lest she hyperventilate and humiliate herself.

Sulpicia and Dora both stopped then, and glanced at one another before looking back at her. Anna stopped as well and looked at them with confusion at their pause.

"Do you need to rest for a moment," Sulpicia asked cautiously, knowing their young sister had a fierce independent streak, as well as overwhelming self-doubt. She seemed to accept their assistance more when it was offered, though, at least.

Anna was about to decline but realized they would be able to tell she needed it anyways and nodded gratefully. "I guess being sick for so long has really depleted my energy," she said, and smiled weakly.

"That's alright, Anna. If you would like, one of us could carry you," Dora offered.

"No!" she said too quickly. "I mean, I'll be fine walking on my own. It's okay," She forced another smile and started back in the direction they had been headed again. They trailed after her reluctantly, unsure of whether they should press the issue lest she injure herself. They would certainly face Marcus' ire if they allowed her to be harmed in their care.

To their relief, she was fine, if a bit out of breath when they finally reached the library. They knew the effort was worth it, though as they finally saw first hand just how alive their sister could look. It was such an acute difference from how she usually was. Her breathing seemed less strained, her eyes animated and her scent sweetened.

She ended up borrowing their entire collection of Harry Potter novels, which Sulpicia had eyed a little suspiciously but didn't comment on. Literature these days had certainly changed and this choice seemed quite different from the classics Anna had seemed to enjoy reading beforehand, but she was not one to judge. Besides, if Dora added them to the collection than they must have some merit. She was their literature expert, after all.

Once they managed to extract her from the library, Sulpicia lit up and grinned at her. "And now it's my turn! Time to try on those clothes! I'm sure they're going to look marvelous on you!"

Anna paled a little at her enthusiasm and the topic, but she tried not to show it as she could see how happy it made Sulpicia and did truly want to please the beautiful woman.

"Of course." She refused to let them carry her again, although she did gratefully allow them to carry her books and stop for many rests on the way. Sulpicia found herself idly planning benches and chairs she could place throughout the castle for this purpose.

They made a detour into Anna's room and left the books before continuing to Sulpicia and Aro's rooms, which were thankfully empty aside from a tray of food sitting on the table.

As they watched her eating, the sisters attempted to hide how unappealing they found the human food. However, they knew their youngest was unhealthily underweight and needed to eat often in order to regain the strength that had been stolen from her and so they could not find fault in it for that reason alone. When they noticed she was uncomfortable with their scrutiny they both occupied themselves elsewhere – Sulpicia going to the laptop on the table and Athenodora picking up the book Aro had been reading earlier. She almost laughed aloud when she realized it was a textbook on abnormal human psychology. It seemed they were all thinking along a similar line.

One she was finished, Sulpicia called for Demetri. He was the one Marcus had chosen to keep watch over her after the nomad's attack, which had made him reluctant to trust any other but their oldest, most loyal guards. Demetri was the head of the guard and they knew he would protect her with his life, and he would never succumb to his bloodlust the way a younger vampire would be susceptible to.

When he entered the room to remove the tray, he also brought the boxes containing the clothing. Anna jumped in surprise in response when the door opened and they immediately scented her fear. Demetri froze, not wanting to alarm her any more but the damage had already been done.

Anna felt her panic building so quickly she couldn't stop it. Suddenly she was back in that alcove, trapped and about to be killed. Then she was forced back further, to a room with a door that never opened except to bring more pain and fear, and locked her tight inside with only her own thoughts for days, weeks, months…

Her breathing was quick – too quick. She backed away from all of them, suddenly terrified by their predatory instincts, sure they were going to kill her.

"Anna…" Sulpicia reached out hesitantly to the girl.

All Anna saw was a vampire reaching for her. She screamed.

* * *

Marcus had been in a meeting with the Italian Minister of Finance when Felix hurried into the room, barely at a human pace and leaned down beside him to tell him something was wrong with his mate. His face immediately went blank as he felt panic in his chest. He hastily left the meeting, barely muttering the pleasantries he knew were necessary to avoid offending him, and ran to his rooms as soon as he was out of the humans sight. He quickly overtook Felix and was there in mere seconds.

She was curled in a ball with her legs tucked up and her arms around them, where she had buried her face on Sulpicia and Aro's couch. The two sisters were beside her, talking to her softly and looking utterly worried and at a loss for how to help her.

He immediately dismissed them and crouched in front of her, allowing himself to purr in the way he knew she had found calming the night before.

"Piccola?" he kept his voice soft, hoping it would sooth her. "You are safe, everyone is gone now."

His purr continued and he hesitated, wanting to touch her somehow, however not sure whether she would welcome it or not. He was inclined to err on the side of caution but something told him it would help and he slowly allowed his hand to rest on the foot closest to him. He heard as her breath hitched and her toes curled a little, although she did not shift it out of his grasp.

"Come back to me, tesoro. All is well. You are safe. No one will harm you."

He heard her breath shudder and smelled tears. After a minute, she slowly began to uncurl, her head peeking out from the cradle of her arms. She looked at him and he saw her lip tremble slightly.

He smiled gently. "There you are. I am going to sit beside you, is that alright?"

She nodded hesitantly, a little stiffly, and slowly uncurled further, allowing her arms to drop from the vice grip they had around her legs and she shifted a little to give him more room on the couch.

He slowly sat beside her, making sure he did not make any sudden movements as he knew her panic was still very close to the surface and he did not want to startle her any further when she was already over-sensitized.

He saw her peeking around, making certain they really were alone, before turning her attention back to him. He saw the blush begin to colour her cheeks again.

"Before you apologize, I will reassure you that you are not being a nuisance."

Her lips twitched and she almost smiled at that. He could tell she wanted to, although was still too upset to allow herself that.

"Would you tell me what happened?"

She flinched a little and looked up at him hesitantly, as if expecting reprimand. He schooled his features to show only his reassurance and care, while he hid his concern for her and his anger at the thought of someone frightening his mate. He knew the emotions would upset her, as she would likely ascribe them to herself and find some blame in herself for them. She seemed very skilled at that.

He waited and after a moment she sighed, seeming resigned, and responded. "It's silly. I was just startled when that tall dark-haired man walked in the room, that's all. I'm sorry for making such a scene."

"No one is angry with you and I will make certain no one startles you again."

She looked so sad and merely nodded her head. "Thank you."

It was only then she realized his eyes were a burgundy red of the others, rather than the black she had grown used to in the past few days. "Marcus, your eyes," she said in awe.

He knew his eyes widened and he almost flinched. He had forgotten that he had fed before his meeting and realized they likely frightened her… although she didn't smell frightened, oddly enough.

"They're beautiful," her whisper was so low even he could barely make out the words and she shifted closer to look. They were a whirlwind of mahogany, deep red, and black… constantly shifting infinitesimally. Like everything else about him, they enchanted her.

She suddenly realized how close they were. She could smell the sweet scent of his breath as it brushed over her lips in a soft caress. She could almost taste him… and she wanted to… God help her, she wanted to so badly. She unconsciously leaned in closer, almost drunk on the scent of him… her mate. In one fell swoop, he had completely obliterated all he inhibitions. She could only think of him and how much she wanted him.

She gasped when their lips met and then moaned, a strangled sound wrenched from the back of her throat. His lips were cold, smooth, and they tasted like hazy dreams that visited her when she was half asleep. She threw herself into the feel of him against her, moving her lips with a frenzied desperation. She whimpered a little when she felt him respond. This was exactly what she needed. She needed to be reminded she was alive, safe, cherished.

His movements were as precise and mastered as the rest of him, softly caressing and teasing and gently sucking her bottom lip into his mouth. He seemed to know exactly how she wanted him to kiss her and she found herself scrambling closer, her hands resting on his shoulders and sliding into his hair as she knelt beside him and pressed her upper body into his. It wasn't until his hands reciprocated and came to her waist that they broke apart and she realized what she had done.

The majority of her blood seemed to constantly be in her cheeks lately, at least when he was around. She couldn't bear to look him in his beautiful eyes any longer and quickly scrambled back to where she had previously been sitting on the couch, refusing to look up from her hands, her cheeks burning hotly. She couldn't believe she had assaulted him like that, she had practically thrown herself at him.

"I'm so sorr-" her voice broke and she felt tears welling in her eyes again.

She startled when she felt a cool hand on her chin, tilting her head up to look at him. She allowed it – probably couldn't stop it even if she wanted to – but she still could not look at him. She kept her eyes focused down, mortification welling up inside of her.

"Anna," he said in his beautiful, deep voice.

That startled her enough to look at him. He rarely called her that. It felt so perfect coming from his mouth, as if she was born for him to say her name, as if his voice was created to say those two syllables.

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, or apologize for, piccola."

"Aren't you-"

"I am nothing but awed that my mate has such a sweet taste to match her sweet temperament."

Somehow her blush deepened at that – something she had not thought possible, as her face was already flaming hot and she was certain she was turning an unattractive shade of puce. She looked back down at her hands before peeking back up at him.

He grinned then, something she had not seen him do before either, and was enchanted by the way his face lit up and his teeth shone pearly white at her. "And shy too! I am truly a blessed male," he purred.

"Please! Stop!" she whispered in giddy embarrassment, and a giggle escaped her. How surreal this felt, giggling with a man… she could not remember the last time she had felt this way. Perhaps she never had. It was certainly an alien feeling to her.

"Tesoro, would you like for me to call your sisters back? They are both concerned for you and would like to ensure you are alright and not upset with them."

"Why would I be upset with them?" she enquired. "I am only worried they are upset with me for causing such a scene."

He smiled at her reassuringly, once again struck with the sadness over his mate's damaged self-esteem. "There is no reason for you to worry about that. They are not angry with you in the slightest."

She hesitated then, but agreed. Within seconds there was a knock at the door. Marcus got up to answer it and she tracked his movements, once again in awe of this flawless creature. And she had just kissed him! They would surely be able to tell what just happened from the look on her face.

She didn't know how their timing was so perfect, but somehow Dora and Suplicia had appeared at exactly the right time. She wondered vaguely whether they heard their conversation… but that was preposterous, wasn't it? Although he did say their senses were much more heightened, did he not?

"Did you guys…" she trailed off, not wanting to sound accusatory, "Did you hear our conversation?"

They all seemed to exchange a look and Sulpicia told her, a little hesitantly, "We did hear some of it, yes."

Her eyebrows went up and she looked almost impressed. "That's- wait, so how much can you hear?"

Sulpicia laughed a little and said, "These walls have been soundproofed so we can only hear if you talk at a normal volume and we are within close range of the walls. In open distances, however…" she considered for a moment and said, "Likely 100 feet."

Her eyes widened and then she asked hesitantly, "Wait – are my walls soundproofed?"

Marcus laughed as well at her concern and said, "Yes, piccola, your walls our soundproofed. No vampires can spy on you."

She seemed relieved at that and moved on, suddenly shifting to looking contrite. "I'm really sorry for earlier. I got a little spooked. I didn't mean to worry either of you."

Dora sat beside her on the couch and placed a hand on her knee gently. "That is alright, Anna. We understand. It may take a while for you to be more comfortable here. We do not fault you for it."

"Thank you," she said quietly, her eyes searching that of her sisters before quickly looking back at her lap.

"Would you still like to try the clothing on?" Sulpicia sounded unerringly hopeful. Anna wasn't sure anything would stop that woman from stuffing her in the new dresses she got.

"Sure," she said, before her eyes sliding over to Marcus. She wasn't sure she wanted him to see her naked – in fact, she didn't want any of them to see her naked. But definitely not him. What if he didn't like how she looked? What if her body repulsed him as much as it repulsed her?

"Marcus will give you privacy, of course. We all will, if you like. You can change in my bedroom," Sulpicia told her reassuringly.

"Alright," Anna agreed, and got up. Sulpicia picked up the large box easily, as if it weighed no more than a paperweight and carried it through a large set of intricately carved double doors directly across from the doors leading into her rooms.


	9. Chapter 9

Sulpicia and Aro's bedroom was awe-inspiring and Anna had to take a moment to gape at it when she walked in. It was all white marble with gilded accents and a vaulted ceiling that featured a mural that appeared to depict her, Aro, Dora, Caius, Marcus, and a few other faces she didn't recognize as the Twelve Olympians. The implication was actually a little amusing, she had to admit. Marcus was sprawled across the fresco, almost naked except for a drape of cloth covering his waist, with a lyre in one hand. Sulpicia and Aro were aptly portrayed as Hera and Zeus, while Dora and Caius featured as Aphrodite and Ares. The latter of which seemed particularly fitting, Anna thought to herself.

Sulpicia saw where her attention was and giggled oddly girlishly for someone who was thousands of years old, "Yes, I thought you might find that entertaining."

She flitted through the box, easily organizing it into pants, shirts, and dresses for Anna's convenience and laying them out neatly on the bed.

"Try on whatever you like first. There is a mirror there for you to see," she gestured across the room. "Although we would certainly like to see how they look as well. If you are comfortable with it, of course."

"Thank you," Anna said sincerely.

Sulpicia smiled reassuringly. "It is my pleasure."

Once the door closed, Anna reached out hesitantly to touch the fabrics. They were all so beautiful and soft. She had never owned anything this nice before. She decided to try the shirt closest to her on first. It was a simple black collared shirt, although it had a slight sheen and the cut looked as if it would be flattering on her shape… as she put it on, she knew she was right. It slid right over her and hugged her in all the right places, showing off her figure. So this is how the other half lived, she thought to herself. No itchy polyester blends or unflattering styles and gapping here.

She tried on a pair of the jeans with it and almost sighed. They didn't even bag at her waist or stretch unflatteringly at the hips or gap at the waist, which every girl with large hips had seemed to be cursed with. She looked… good. She was amazed at her own assessment. Was that even a word that could be used to describe her? She looked put-together and, though there were still dark circles under her eyes and her hair was in a haphazard braid, she looked sleek.

"Anna?" she heard Dora call at the door. "Are you alright? Do you need any help?"

"N-no! I'll be out in a minute," she called, and realized she had been admiring herself in the mirror for a little too long. She quickly smoothed her hand over everything to be sure there were no wrinkles and opened the door. They were all grouped together in the sitting area again and she blushed when they all turned to look at her in unison. She felt incredibly awkward just standing there and wasn't sure whether she was supposed to go to them or-

They made her decision for her, thankfully, as Dora and Sulpicia flocked around her, admiring the outfit, adjusting it slightly here and there, and telling her how nice it looked – how it accented her small waist and emphasized the curve of her hips – all the things she knew she should want. She was still uncomfortable with the thought of being physically attractive and had to fight the urge to cover herself from their admiring glances. Sometimes she had those waves of feelings where she didn't want anyone to ever look at her again, as if she had already been seen too much, in too many horrible ways, and had filled her quota for the rest of her life. She just wanted to crawl up in a cave in the desert somewhere. She tolerated the feeling in order to make Dora and Sulpicia happy, though. They had done so much, it was the least she could do for them.

"It needs a little something…" Sulpicia mused, and disappeared into another room for a moment. When she came back, she brought an oversized rose gold chain with her, which she fastened around Anna's neck and took a step back to look.

"There, now it's perfect!" she said, obviously satisfied with the addition.

Marcus hung back, standing in the doorway with his eyes roaming over her figure, not hiding his ogling. She blushed at his blatant appraisal and quickly turned back to the other two women. For some reason, his gaze gave her the complete opposite reaction – she wanted only him to look at her that way. For the rest of their lives… and hopefully very long lives, at that. He smiled when he saw and smelled her reaction. His mate was adorable when she was shy.

As Athenodora was fixing her hair – apparently this had turned into Anna Barbie playtime – Anna revelled in the comfort of her touch, which she decided to allow herself. After spending so much time with them, she did not think they intended her any harm. She had spent long enough with people who did mean to hurt her to know the difference, in her estimation.

Having another woman fuss with her hair brought her back to her childhood, when she had enjoyed that sort of feeling and had loved when her sisters would play with her hair and brush it, and the times when her mother would run her hands through it while she was sick or upset to sooth her. They were good memories. Memories she had buried so far that she hadn't considered in so long that she almost thought she might have forgotten them for good.

Sulpicia's voice broke her out of her reverie and asked, "While you are occupied, would you like to see the plans for your new room? We can begin the renovation this afternoon if you like it! We're finally finished with Marcus' renovation, no thanks to him," she scowled at him playfully as she said it.

"Uh, sure, that sounds good," she said hesitantly. Sulpicia flickered for a moment and Anna realized she had just run and gotten the piece of paper that was suddenly in her hands in the span of a second. She flinched a little in response.

Sulpicia crouched beside the plush dressing chair Anna was sitting in and held the large blueprint in front of her. It had a few paperclips attached of what appeared to be pictures of pieces of furniture and phone numbers neatly printed next to them, as well as paint chips in beautiful shades of egg shell blue, teal, and cream.

Anna was honestly in awe of it. She didn't know anything about interior design, but the pieces she had chosen and the colours were beautiful. Even her untrained eyes could see that clearly. She told her so, sincerity obvious in her tone, and Sulpicia beamed in response.

"I am so glad you like it! We will start immediately!" She disappeared again and Anna flinched once again in response.

She saw Marcus was scowling and Athenodora sighed as well. "Do not let her bother you, Anna. She forgets her manners when she is excited."

Sulpicia was back in another minute and Anna steeled herself against the flinch. She saw her turn toward Marcus and then her eyes widened and she looked back at Anna at human speed.

She walked over to her and knelt down again – something that made Anna uncomfortable, as this beautiful, powerful creature should not be kneeling in front of _her._

"Oh my sister, please forgive me. I didn't mean to frighten you. I was distracted and forgot myself."

"That's okay," she responded, eyes widening in surprise. "You didn't do anything. It's really okay."

"I will make certain to move at speeds you are more comfortable with," she responded, and patted her hand before standing back up.

Trying to distract her, Dora sought a subject that may not be uncomfortable for her. "Your hair is so beautiful," she praised. "I understand that humans do not wear their hair this long anymore, and it is so thick and such a beautiful colour."

She saw Anna's smile in the mirror and felt triumphant. "No one else in my family had red hair, my mom used to say I was a changeling left by the fairies. They all had this pin straight brown hair so I definitely stood out a bit.

Sulpicia warred with herself over whether she should ask the question that was eating at her, but did it anyhow, as it seemed an important subject to address, "Where is your mother?"

Anna frowned at the question, searching the other woman's face, before quickly averting her eyes and staring at a spot in the distance, her thoughts apparently a mile away.

"She and my father died in a car accident, along with my sisters."

"When?" Dora asked as well, her face full of sympathy for the obvious suffering of the young girl. She had stopped the movement of her hands, although she watched the girl through the mirror.

"When I was a child. I was raised by my aunt."

"I'm so, so sorry, Anna."

The girl shook her head; something they were quickly beginning to understand was her way of ridding herself of unwanted thoughts. "It was a long time ago. There is no need to think on it now."

She forced a smile. They all knew it was forced, though they said nothing about it. Wanting to distract her from that area of conversation which, once again, made her clearly uncomfortable, Dora returned to the braided hairstyle and steered the conversation back into safer territory. "So, _sorellina_ (little sister) do you speak any languages other than English and Italian?"

Anna tilted her head at the term, however ignored it. She recalled that Marcus had called them her sisters previously as well… as much as she wanted to balk at it, it seemed almost right, somehow. As if her soul already knew they were meant to be sisters. She was trying not to question these preternatural instincts, as so far they had turned out to be correct.

She seemed to be placing pins in her hair, so Anna listed them off as she finished, "I can speak Yoruba and Igbo, though I can hardly write in them. I am the same with Italian. I picked them up conversationally. I can both read and write in English, and I could likely get by with my French and German in a pinch."

"That is impressive for one so young! I would be happy to assist you in any practice you need, as I am fluent in all those dialects."

"How many languages can you speak, Dora?"

"213 at last count, although there is some crossover, of course. And I am constantly in the process of learning new ones, as well as refining the old ones to the dialect currently spoken. Language is such an ever-changing, fluid thing. Even moreso now with all the globalization." She took a step back to look at her handy work. "And I'm done. You look marvelous!"

"Four languages doesn't sound quite so impressive when compared to 213," Anna grimaced at the reminder of their superiority.

"Well, I have had a few millennia head start! For one so young, you are very learned. It is admirable."

Dora held up a mirror so Anna could see the back of her hair. She didn't know how she had done it. Her usually long, boring hair was twisted into many braids and piled into an elegant bun that didn't look too formal or casual for the look, but completed it perfectly.

"That's beautiful, how did you do it?"

Dora winked at her and said saucily, "Magic."

Sulpicia then pouted at her a little and said, "Well that is all fine and good, Dora, but now she cannot try on the rest of her clothes!"

"I'm sure she can try them on in her own room," came Marcus' voice of reason. "For now she must go see the doctor and then eat lunch."

Both women sighed dramatically before kissing Anna on the cheek before she departed.

"We will see you later, Anna. Enjoy your afternoon," Sulpicia told her. "I will deliver your clothes to your room for you."

"Thank you Sulpicia and Athenodora this was actually…" she tried to find the right word, her brow creased a little, "… fun."

And what a strange feeling it was.

* * *

The meeting with the doctor went as expected - a little uncomfortable, however not overly horrible. He told her he could barely tell she had ever been injured in the first place. If it weren't for the obvious healed break in the xrays, she wouldn't have believed it either. She felt perfectly fine, if a bit tired still.

"Well, Signor Volturi, I do not know that my services will be needed any longer," he said as their meeting came to an end. "This remarkable young lady seems to be the perfect picture of health."

Marcus nodded at him curtly and said, "We will settle this later, then. Leave your bill in my office. Thank you for your time, Doctor."

He stood up to see the Doctor out and retrieved a tray of food, which he placed in front of her on the table when he returned. It was a large salad with pieces of steak and goat cheese in it. She couldn't hold back the little moan that escaped her. The food here was perfect. Gourmet, but not to the point of being inedible to her slightly unrefined palette.

Marcus felt himself harden in response to the pleased noises of his mate and had to contain his own response. He didn't want to frighten her. She had already had enough upset for one day. He frowned a little at the thought and told himself he could not be angry with Demetri. After all, he had exercised a reasonable amount of caution. His instincts told him a different story, however. They told him he should rip the offending man into tiny shreds and burn them as he did with the foul nomad that had tried to kill his mate… it was fortunate for Demetri that he had so many millennia of controlling his instincts. Although this little human had done quite a number on them, forcing responses from him he had never felt in his entire existence.

"If it's okay with you…" she began, pushing the empty plate away from her. She cleared her throat, "I was thinking I might have my nap."

"Of course that is okay, piccola. Would you like me to stay with you?"

She was overcome with the wave of instincts that seemed to try and cajole her to say yes. It itched at her consciousness, promising that he would keep her safe, make her comfortable, purr for her…

"Oh," she squeaked. "I couldn't ask you to do that..."

"Is that what you would like, my mate?" his voice was sinfully melded with that purr and it sent delicious shivers down her spine.

"Y-" her voice was barely more than a high pitched squeak. "Y-yes, I would," the last two words were barely audible.

"Then I will stay with you."

The way he said it, she knew there was no arguing. And not because she would be punished if she did – but because she knew she didn't want to.

* * *

She ended up falling asleep in a chair in front of the fire, reading a book that pictured a young boy with a scar on his forehead standing in front of a train. He had taken it out of her hands once she was in a deep sleep and read it. It was interesting what humans were interested in nowadays, though it seemed the fascination with witchcraft and magic never went out of style.

He carried her to his newly remodeled bedroom and laid her in the plush bed. It seemed to swallow her as he tucked the covers up to her chin and lit a fire. He debated whether it be inappropriate to be in bed with her… it would not be the first time and after the initial shock she hadn't seemed adverse to it the previous times.

He considered it for a few moments and decided to chance it. The opportunity to have her soft body against his was too good for him to pass up. He slid in behind her, wrapping his arms around her small body and pulling her snugly against him so he could feel every inch of her. This was how it was meant to be with a mate, he knew, as if you were coming home. A home made just for you, that fit in ways you never could have imagined, even in 3000 years.

She awoke to a feeling she was becoming very accustomed to – and even fond of, if she were being honest, with him wrapped around her… she did not even feel frightened at it. Marcus was not dangerous. To others, maybe. She could tell he would be a fierce opponent if challenged. And she had seen some of the looks he gave people around them when they frightened her. But to her, he was only safety.

A hand trailed through her hair, signaling that he knew she was awake, and she sighed happily at the feeling. He continued it for a few minutes, both of them enjoying the exercise. He asked softly after a little while, "Are you hungry, my darling? Your dinner should be ready soon."

Her voice was still slightly groggy when she answered, "A little, but I don't want to get out of this bed…"

She looked around at the dim light, not recognizing the room. She pushed herself to sit up slightly, pulling her legs up to her chest as he followed, lounging back against the headboard. "Where are we?"

"We are in my room. Sulpicia had it updated, in the event that you ever wanted to spend time here."

"Sulpicia really has a talent for this whole decorating thing, doesn't she?"

He smiled. "Indeed. Our family is all exceptionally talented. Sulpicia with her design, Athenodora with linguistics, Aro and his… charisma, or leadership, perhaps you could say, and Caius has an unparalleled mind for business."

"And what about you? What are your exceptional talents?"

"I am highly…" he leaned in closer to her, his eyes melting into hers and his tantalizing scent filling her nostril. The last word was practically purred, "Strategic."

She felt a shiver go through her and she knew he was not only talking about battle or business…

He smiled at her when he saw it and her eyes almost fluttered closed at how thoroughly he was overwhelming her senses without even touching her.

He was eager to repeat that kiss they had shared, even though she had been very flustered afterward. He leaned in slowly – even slowly by her standards. He wanted to tease her, as well as letting her know his intentions and giving her every opportunity to say no. He did not want to force her into anything she did not desire.

She didn't stop him, though. Her eyes dilated further as his scent became stronger and finally their lips met in the sweetest, softest brush and she sighed.

It was short and sweet and when they broke apart she felt her heart flutter from the look in his eyes. He ran a hand lightly over her face, tracing it down to her jawline before smiling at her, the sight of which put her in serious danger of melting from how beautiful it was. His smile was so perfect. All of him was perfect - too perfect for one as flawed as her, and yet she did not have it in her to deny that they belonged together.

"Come, piccola," he said, climbing out of the bed gracefully. "It is time for you to eat."

She shuffled closer, nowhere near as gracefully, and tried to right herself. Her hair was likely a fright and her clothes were rumpled. She tried to smooth them down and, once she was satisfied it was as good as it was going to get, she followed him. Unexpectedly, he combed his fingers through her hair, righting any errant loose strands and tugged on her shirt to straighten it before holding out his hand to her. She looked at it, then up at him to see him smiling gently at her. Without hesitation she took it, following him to wherever he would lead her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Hera: (Lat. Juno) The goddess of marriage and wife of Zeus. She was often portrayed as incredibly jealous of all his affairs
> 
> Zeus: (Lat. Jupiter) The Big Daddy, god of thunder and lightening and king of the gods
> 
> Aphrodite: (Lat. Venus) The goddess of beauty, desire, sex. Quite powerful and more than a little mischievous
> 
> Ares: (Lat. Mars) The god of war, although he was more associated with the bloodlust rather than military tactics or strategy, which was governed by Athena.
> 
> Apollo: (Lat. Apollo) The god of music, prophecy, and the plague. Had terrible luck in love and had a nasty habit of breaking his toys (see: Cassandra, Daphne)


	10. Chapter 10

The man who had startled her earlier was in Marcus' study, which appeared to have been remodeled as well. It looked as if a few walls had been knocked out, as suddenly there was a kitchenette and small dining area next to the sitting area around the fireplace, which was still in place, albeit with some new furniture. Her attention was swiftly brought back to the man there, and she cursed herself for being so easily distracted.

He was standing in front of the fire, his arms behind his back and his posture straight and intimidating, looking every bit an army general, or something of the sort. He clearly commanded authority and power, although not nearly to the same extent as Marcus. Still, he was not her mate and as such those traits in anyone but him set her on edge.

He looked up toward Marcus as soon as they appeared through the door, although she noticed he did not once look at her. It was as if she didn't exist at all, and she had to admit that it was comforting, if at the same time unnerving. She had always been stared at like a piece of meat while she was with _him._ The fact that this obviously powerful man was paying her what seemed to be a courtesy was... strangely relieving. Besides, she had no interest in any male other than Marcus looking at her anyways.

She immediately looked to Marcus for direction, unsure as to whether she was supposed to greet the man or ignore him as well. Marcus gave her a look of encouragement, although he did not smile, and ushered her to sit in front of the fire. She missed how animated he was around her. This Marcus was cold and forbidding and she wanted so badly to breathe the warmth back into him.

As soon as she was seated, the intimidating man immediately bent to one knee in front of her, although she noticed it seemed a safe enough distance away in her estimation, and she knew he probably did that on purpose. She was struck with more feelings of gratefulness for these small acts of consideration.

He still did not look up as he told her, "My lady, please forgive me my grievous error. I did not intend to cause any upset and I will accept any punishment you wish to bestow upon me. I have failed you and your mate and for that I am eternally sorry."

"I-" She didn't even know where to begin. He was apologizing on bended knee for startling her? Expecting punishment? She had no idea what to do and once again looked to Marcus who was standing slightly behind the chair to her right, looking forbiddingly at the man in front of them.

He met her gaze and his eyes softened. "Demetri offers his apologies, piccola. He has wronged you and will accept any retribution for it that would please you to make ammends."

"It was just an accident, I don't want to _punish_ him," she whispered, horrified that someone wanted her to discipline another person. She should be apologizing to him for causing such a scene and apparently incurring Marcus' anger towards him!

"It is your right as my mate to do so, or not do so. It is your choice."

"I-I forgive you, Demetri," she said hesitantly, turning back to the kneeling man who still had not moved one inch or looked up.

He looked then, still seeking out Marcus instead of her. He seemed to find what he was looking for there and finally settled his eyes on her.

"You are merciful, my lady. It is an honourable trait to have. I thank you for your forgiveness and once again, I am truly sorry for any harm I have caused you," he said.

She nodded at him, obviously still baffled with this entire encounter.

He stood up fluidly, rearranging himself back into his imposing stance, and looked to Marcus.

"Thank you, Demetri. That is all. I will meet with you later."

Once he left, Marcus led her over to the table and pushed the tray of food toward her. When she was settled, he picked up a book on the side table and began to write in it. It was her turn to look on at what he was doing with interest. The curiosity burned through her as she badly wanted to know what he could be writing – his hand moved slowly, languidly across the page with a flourish here and there. She was certain his penmanship would be flawless.

She barely noticed the vegetables being piled in her mouth unceremoniously as she watched him. As soon as she was finished, she pushed the plate away and downed the glass of water, still trying to peek at what he was doing. She saw his lips curved slightly, as if he was aware of her nosiness and it amused him. As if choreographed, he put the book down and looked up as soon as she set the glass back on the table.

"Sulpicia and Athenodora have asked whether you would like to visit again this evening."

"The entire family?" she asked, her mind immediately going to the beautiful, sullen blonde man who was the lovely Dora's mate.

"Yes," he said, his brow furrowed. He couldn't tell what she was worrying about. "Would you prefer if we stayed here instead? They will understand if you would."

"N-no, of course not. That sounds fine. Are we going now?"

He tilted his head at his mate's curious behavior but did not comment on it, "If you are ready, then yes. They are all already there."

She forced a smile, "Alright, let's go then."

He offered her his hand again and she took it easily, enjoying the heavy, cool, weight of it.

Athenodora was sitting with her equally light haired mate in front of a fire with a magazine balanced between their two legs as they flipped through it. Aro appeared to be on the phone and Sulpicia was sitting with him, leaning against the arm of the couch with her legs over his lap.

They all looked up as she and Marcus walked in and all but Caius smiled at her.

Marcus led her to the couch with Aro and Sulpicia and sat them on it, placing himself between her and Aro. She found that this something she was grateful for, as she was still not entirely comfortable with the man, despite how fond she seemed to have grown of his mate.

Aro was speaking in Italian so swiftly that she almost couldn't understand the words but she could pick out enough to know it was a business call and busied herself with looking down at her hands so she didn't seem as if she were intruding.

Marcus noticed and reached inside an inside pocket of his jacket to hand her something. She looked on curiously has he held it out to her. It looked to be a phone – an iPhone, she remembered. They hadn't changed much in shape or design, except to get thinner and longer and more metallic looking.

She looked to his face hesitantly as if making sure it was okay and then reached for it. He placed it in her palm gently.

She looked at it and then back at him, clearly confused.

"I thought you might enjoy something to occupy your time with. We will have to get you your own at some point, but for now you are welcome to mine."

She looked at it in wonder, peeking back up at him again in confirmation, before pushing the home button. "2662," he said, when she got to the lock screen.

Athenodora's head perked up immediately and she set the magazine on Caius' lap before coming over and perching on the arm of the couch beside her. "Oooh I have to show you all the best games to download. And there's this app called-"

"Woah," Anna said as she saw the home screen and then looked up. "Technology has changed so much in in the past year. Did they totally remake the OS?"

Dora cocked her head to one side and said "A year? It has been a year since you have seen a phone?"

"Well, I mean, I've _seen_ phones, I just haven't used one."

She really didn't want to explain how helpless she had been with Joseph, cut off from the outside world with no opportunities to seek help. A phone would've been a literal lifesaver for her, which meant she was not allowed to even touch one. She felt her anxiety growing at the memory. Trying to bring herself out of the memory and back to the present, she focussed back at Dora.

Her sister looked troubled at this new information and Anna looked around the room to see the others wearing similar expressions, except Caius. She saw him scowl in response and glare at her, although he didn't say anything. Her heart sank. He seemed to hate her - something she was used to, but for some reason it made her especially uncomfortable coming from him. She felt her anxiety, which was already triggered, begin to build as the feeling of being prey took over.

Everyone turned to her in response – with another stab of panic she realized they must hear every single reaction of her heart… oh god. She was panicking. She had to breathe. Just breathe, Anna, she told herself. Deep breaths. It's okay. Nothing has happened so far. They weren't going to hurt her. Marcus would protect her. It's okay.

Marcus manually turned her head toward him from where she had noticed she had been staring at her lap, at the hands clenched together with her nails digging into the flesh of her palm hard enough to leave imprints.

"Anna," he said, "Focus on me. You are safe. It is okay. Listen to my voice. You are safe. I am here. Whatever you are thinking, it is not true. I will not allow anyone to harm you. There is no need for this fear."

She focused on the feeling of his cool, firm, large palms on her face and the beautiful eyes that were staring into hers and tried to block everything else out. Marcus would protect her. It was okay. He was here.

She took a deep shuddering breath and let it out and did it again, and again, and again, until she finally felt her heart start to slow down and the clamping feeling of the fear in her chest relented.

It took her a few moments to realize the room was silent. She broke free of his grasp and looked around to find everyone staring at them with mixed looks of concern and disgust – although the latter was only coming from Caius.

She felt herself blush. Her feeling of shame was rising from deep within her chest and washing over her with a cold prickly feeling. She quickly got up and rushed out of the room, needing to put some distance between these predators and herself. Her instincts demanded she find somewhere quiet and dark and alone to hide in, so her overstimulated senses could calm down.

Before she could reach the door, someone touched her arm. She jumped and spun around and saw Marcus standing there, looking concerned, before the stress and shock triggered another panic attack. She wrenched the door open and ran.

* * *

Marcus watched his mate fled from him. His heart ached and he sighed, wishing his mate was not so fragile. Not because he was tired of taking care of her. He would gladly do it for the rest of his existence. But seeing her pain cut him to his core. He wished he never had to see it again, wished she never had to feel it again.

He deliberated for a moment before following her. His instincts wouldn't allow her to be alone with this feeling. He needed to comfort her. He heard her heaving sobs increase as she realized her room was already being redecorated and her bed was no longer there.

"Shhh, piccola, come with me. You may stay in my room again until yours is done being redecorated."

She startled as she saw him standing behind her, witnessing her meltdown. He held out his hand and she threw herself at him, clinging to him with all her meager human strength.

"Shhh," he soothed again. She was shaking dramatically so he carefully picked her up and carried her to his bedroom. He deliberated… should he lay her in the bed? That would be more comfortable for her, though he didn't want her to feel more vulnerable. Perhaps on a chair in front of the fire? She had seemed comfortable there before. Decided, he sat her there and crouched in front of the fireplace to build it up once again. It had burned down to glowing embers and he did not want her getting a chill.

Once he was finished he stood, trying to decide where to position himself, as his voice and touch seemed to bring comfort to her before. Considering this, he picked her up again, arranging her in his lap before settling again and purring for her. He used one hand to gently still her two trembling hands which she was clutching against her chest while the other gently supported her back, urging her to relax into him and allow him to comfort her. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent deeply and her small hands clutched at his shirt, trying to bring herself closer.

"You are safe, piccola. It is only you and I here…" he paused, unsure of what to say, but his instincts were certain that hearing his voice would help her. He decided to try patting her hair as he had earlier and began, "Have I told you about where I am from, tesoro? Perhaps you have already deduced I am Greek - Athenian, to be exact. Athens was the greatest city in the world when I was human… it was the centre of culture – philosophy, athletics, the arts.

"I am sure you know all about that, dear one. You are exceptionally learned for one so young so I will not tell you of things you already know. But instead, allow me to tell you about the Athens I knew, rather than the one you read about in your books. I was born to a noble family – my father was a general in the King's military, my mother the sister of the Queen…"

He continued his caress of her hair as he went on, "Your history books do not remember them. They write that the King was the son of a nymph, a demigod, but he was no god. He was fat and ugly and drank far too much wine. And the city was dirty, overcrowded, and most never had enough food."

He smiled slightly, "The streets may not have been made from white marble, and our people may not have been the most beautiful or clean, but I still remember the way the sun lit up the temple to Athena in the morning… and the smell of fish and bread in the market… the view of the city from the Acropolis… I thought it was the greatest human civilization to have ever existed."

He could hear her heart beat decreasing back to a normal pace as her panic subsided, however he went on with his story, "When I was still human I eventually followed my father's legacy, as was expected of me as his only son, and enlisted in the King's service. I moved up the ranks quickly, making a name for myself in the battles for my great city. I was strong, even as a human."

He chuckled then in memory, "I am certain you know of the Olympics, but you cannot imagine the chaos of them, tesoro. Hundreds of Greeks and Persians and Romans making pilgrimage into the city, bidding and screaming and drinking, and the glistening of the flesh of the athletes… the Olympics did not start until after I had changed but even I could appreciate the spectacle. I'm sure if I had the opportunity as a human, I would have quite enjoyed participating in them."

A wry smile crossed his face again, "Aro, however, was a terrible fighter and an even worse soldier. Always complaining, wanting to be back in his villa in a hot bath with a few women washing him and a warm meal on its way. He managed to convince his father after only two terms to allow him to join politics instead. But I reveled in it."

"I cannot imagine Aro enjoying war. He is too much a bureaucrat. But you are the picture of strength and agility. I'm sure you were a terrifying soldier."

Her voice still had a dream-like quality to it, her words made it even more pronounced. He assumed she was not quite grounded yet and bent his head to look at her, smiling.

"Aro detests that word, but it is entirely accurate in regards to him."

"Did you ever marry?"

That gave Marcus pause and he saw her looking back at him. Her face seemed only curious and he did not detect any anger or jealousy, so he answered, "I married Aro's sister. Her name was Didyme."

"Was she a vampire as well?"

He frowned. "She was, yes."

"But she was not your mate?"

"No, cara mia, she was not my mate," he said softly.

"Did you love her?"

"I did. She was a good wife to me. She died many years ago, though."

"How many?"

He frowned, unsure of why she wanted this information but not willing to deny her anything, "Almost 3000 years ago."

"It's always shocking to be reminded of how old you are," she said, her eyebrows raised. She shifted in the seat to turn and fully face him, her back against the arm and her legs tucked up in front of her over his lap.

"What was it like, seeing the rise of democracy? Athens was the first democratic city-state, no?"

"It was. That was not for many centuries though. It was… enlightening. I will be honest with you, cara mia. My humanity has never been my strength, even when I was a human myself. However I have no interest in seeing the needless suffering of men and that small shift in politics brought on hundreds of thousands of more small changes that have brought us to the present.

"You live in the greatest era for the least suffering thus far, tesoro. I have seen most of the advancements that brought us here - many of them our family invested in and made possible. It is difficult to imagine, what it was like before that, I am sure. However I am immensely glad you were born into this era with its medical advances and comforts."

"So… you haven't always been a vampire? You were once human?"

He smiled, "Yes, I was once human, just as you are."

"How did you become a vampire? Will I become one?"

She still showed no anxiety or discomfort, even at a topic he thought she would find distressing. He wasn't sure whether her responses, or lack thereof, should worry him or not.

"A human is changed through the bite of a vampire. We are venomous, and if the venom enters your blood, the change begins. And that will be a choice you make for yourself, my mate. I will not presume to decide for you but I do hope to spend the rest of eternity with you by my side."

The look he gave her smoldered and she shuddered a little at the intensity. She wanted to kiss him again. _Really_ badly. It frightened her how much she wanted his lips on hers…

Before Joseph, she had never kissed anyone, and his were always foul, tasting of tobacco and forcing his tongue in her mouth in a way that made her want to gag.

But Marcus… my god, Marcus tasted as divine as he smelled, and the way his mouth felt against hers was so good it should be illegal. Or at the very least, heavily taxed.

She blushed at the direction of her thoughts and broke eye contact.

She heard him begin to purr and the blush deepened at the response it had in her.

"Piccola."

She looked up, shivering when she saw his eyes were almost entirely black. For some reason it didn't disturb or scare her. It only increased her yearning for him.

"Come here." He opened his arms again, wanting her to shift back more completely into his lap.

Her breath hitched and she slowly inched forward, still very unused to this intimate game they played. She found it difficult to meet his eye and she felt her blush burning at her cheeks.

"Little one."

She brought her eyes to his at his prompt and almost swooned at the look he was giving her. He reached a hand toward her and pulled her closer, adjusting her so she sat straddled over his legs.

She felt the purr then, settling between her legs in a way that made her want to rub herself against him more firmly. She resisted, opting to continue staring into the eyes that seemed to see past all the confusion and brokenness and made her feel things she had never even dreamed of before.

She knew what was coming - wanted it, couldn't even muster any embarrassment or shame. All she wanted was his hands and his mouth on her, tasting her and touching her and making her feel _so good._ When their lips met again, she almost cried at how good it felt to be with him. To be home.


	11. Chapter 11

"Anna, how do you feel about this dress?"

Sulpicia turned her computer screen toward the girl curled up in the chair in front of the fire. Anna looked to the screen, on it there was a picture of a dress with a bold geometric print on it with large cut outs on the side. Anna considered it for a minute and said, "I think it would look excellent on you, but I'm not sure I could successfully pull it off."

"Nonsense! You just need more practice walking with confidence!"

"Even still, it wouldn't be my first choice for myself… I hope you understand," she said, giggling shyly and turning back to the article on pulmonary embolisms in the medical journal in her lap. She noticed Dora had started including them in the assortment of magazine subscriptions they had in the library.

Sulpicia smirked at her and turned back to the screen just as Dora burst through the door to Sulpicia's rooms. She was talking in rapid Latin on the phone, so Anna assumed it must be to one of the brothers. They had all left on urgent business that morning in a hurry, although not before Marcus assured her that he would be back that afternoon, and that until then, he had sternly told her, she needed to ensure she stayed with Sulpicia or Dora at all times. He had said Demetri would also be keeping watch over her, although thankfully the man seemed content to do that from the hall. She still felt slightly uncomfortable in his presence.

He seemed insistent she knew she was safe, which she was grateful for. Despite this, she still felt incredibly empty without him, and her anxiety had been creeping up on her all day in his absence. She found it distressing that she was so dependent on him, which didn't help her anxiety at all. It just heightened the prickly sensation crawling up her chest.

Dora startled her out of her brooding and said, "Anna, it's Marcus. He would like to talk to you."

She handed her the phone and Anna took it hesitantly and brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Piccola," even through the phone, his deep voice was the most beautiful, most soothing thing she had ever heard. The prickling immediately calmed. "Rome has just gotten a foot of snow and we cannot fly out this evening. I am terribly sorry, my darling. You may stay with Dora or Sulpicia if you need company, though. They say they do not mind."

"Oh," her heart sank at the thought that she wouldn't see him until tomorrow. She took a deep, soothing breath. "That's okay. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Most certainly, my darling. How has your day been?"

"Slow, but good. Sulpicia has been showing me some… errr… very interesting fashion choices and Dora introduced me to her collection of… errr… I believe the museum had them labeled as religious relics but they look a little… phallic to me." A fiery blush took over her face in recollection.

He sighed audibly over the phone and said dryly with amusement clear in his tone, "Yes, she is quite fond of those."

"How is your day? How did the business meetings go?"

"Much slower without you."

She blushed, even over the phone, and he chuckled as if he knew.

"I must go now, piccola. I will be back before you know it. Until then."

"Bye," she said, trying to keep her voice even. She handed the phone back to Dora who was back to talking in swift Latin. She didn't even bother to try and hear what she was saying as the realization sunk in.

She took a deep breath. It's okay, she told herself. It's just a couple hours - not even a full day. She could do it. She had survived 23 years without him. She could do this…

She thought back to the day before, the kissing and the touching and how much she loved hearing about his life and her blush deepened.

"Anna?" it was Sulpicia this time. "Marcus said we should make sure you eat. Are you hungry? Shall we call the kitchens to bring up your dinner?"

"Sure. Thanks Sulpicia," she smiled at her.

Sulpicia got up to speak to someone outside the door and then sat back down. "Now, how about we have a girl's night? Dora and I have never gotten to do a sleepover before! And it's not every day the men are out of the castle! Oh, this is so exciting!"

"You know, I don't think I've ever had a sleepover either," she considered. "I mean, I lived in a dorm while I was doing my residency so I guess that was kind of like one big sleepover."

"But what about when you were a child?" Dora asked, seemingly shocked.

"I didn't really have very many friends."

"Well…" Sulpicia seemed to be trying to lighten the mood and she smiled warmly at Anna, "Now you have us. We shall be your friends!"

Anna smiled back and Dora interrupted. "Alright we're going to need some movies, nail polish, facials, wine, and pizza."

She got to the door too quickly to be human, although still slow enough to be visible to her, which made Anna more comfortable, and disappeared through it.

* * *

Marcus stared down coldly at the cowering human in front of him. He was in that gaudy apartment he had found Anna in only a few weeks before, although this time it was this miserable excuse for sentient life on the floor in a puddle of blood, rather than his beautiful mate.

"Please… I'm sorry…" it whimpered.

"You are sorry? What for?" he asked, feigning curiosity.

"I don't know… whatever it is… I'm sorry… please don't hurt me..."

"Don't hurt you? Is that what my mate begged before you beat her half to death?"

"What? Your mate?" the worm looked up at him with confusion before realization dawned on him, " _Anna?_ "

"Do not speak her name," he snarled and, in less than a millisecond, had the man's neck in his grasp and it's back against the wall. It tried to cry out in shock, although it couldn't because of the pressure on its throat.

"You do not deserve to speak her name."

It was turning purple, so Marcus eased his grasp slightly to allow it to breath. It wouldn't be allowed to die that easily. No, it would suffer before it died.

"She's just some cunt. She's nothing, you can have her if you want. I don't care," it pleaded, anger joining with the scent of its pungent fear. What a pathetically predictable human. It couldn't bear to feel the fear, only able to inflict it. He would teach it exactly what had been taught to his mate. The fear, the subjugation, the cruelty… It would beg for death. But he would not grant it. He would show it no mercy, just as his mate had been shown none.

"She's nothing? You are mistaken. She is everything. You are nothing. You do not deserve to look at her, let alone touch her."

"What _are_ you?"

"I am a nightmare you cannot even imagine and I am the last thing you will ever see."

* * *

"Anna, would you like some more wine?" Dora asked. The girl was obviously already a little tipsy, but a little more wouldn't hurt… she was so much happier and braver when she was drunk, that much was obvious. They had been able to tell how anxious she was without Marcus, surely he wouldn't fault them for comforting her with the means at their disposable.

The girl giggled and said, "Sure, thanks. This is delicious. I've never dreamed wine could actually taste _good."_

"Alright, Anna," came Sulpicia's voice from in front of the DVD player. "It looks like we are watching…" she peered at the cover of the disk, "Breakfast at Tiffany's. Although I don't know why you would want to do that, shouldn't you eat before shopping for jewelry?"

Anna got comfortable on the couch, a glass of wine in one hand and the other in Dora's hand as she painted them with polish. She had also shaped them so they were all perfect ovals and Anna had to admit they were very pretty.

"This is really nice," she said happily. "Thank you for doing this."

"Any time," Dora replied. "Sulpicia will never let me paint her nails and Caius will only do it with…" she cleared her throat meaningfully and smirked a little, "Proper incentive."

This sent Anna careening into more giggles, causing the other two to crack up as well.

"You know Dora, I never wanted to have that image in my head. I need to drink more so the alcohol erases that memory."

* * *

The pathetic creature had been reduced to a piece of whimpering, begging, quivering tissue within an hour. It was pitiful. But he had no pity. Only rage, which had not been near quelled enough. Every time it begged, he was reminded of his mate's terror, of her injuries, of her nonexistent self-esteem… and it fueled him. He needed to inflict more pain, needed to extract more revenge.

Aro and Caius had watched for a while before growing bored and finding something else to occupy their time, but now Aro flitted in the room and looked at the creature on the ground with a disgusted expression.

He had not wanted to touch it, and Marcus agreed. Neither wanted its memories in his head. Marcus wanted to save his mate the embarrassment. He was sure this pile of flayed meat remembered things his mate would not want any of them seeing. And Aro just did not want that filth floating around his thoughts.

"The snow has miraculously stopped. A runway can be cleared within the hour, brother."

"Good," Marcus said. "I think it needs a break. We will bring it back to the castle. Felix," he called. The man was there in an instant, also sending a glare to the creature passed out in front of them. "I want you to take this and put it in the deepest dungeon we have. And do make sure it doesn't die on the way there."

"Yes, master," he said, and bowed.

"Begin driving now and burn the car once you are there. I don't want its stench contaminating anything we own."

"Yes master," he said again. "With pleasure."

He picked up the mess of flesh and was gone instantly.

"I will have one of the lower guard clean this up," Aro said contemplatively. "We wouldn't want the police looking for him."

"It does not matter if they do. They will not find him."

"Well no, but it would be a shame to waste valuable resources on a pointless endeavor."

Marcus smirked.

"It's good to have you back, brother," Aro said as he clasped him on the back.

* * *

"Demetri," Sulpicia called at a normal tone. The man immediately opened the door and walked toward where the three queens were seated around a large TV. It looked to be a movie about nuclear weapons and Angelina Jolie as a Russian spy. He tried to quell his amusement but he was sure he did not do an adequate job in hiding it from the two immortal queens.

"What can I do for you, my Lady?"

"Anna would like chocolate of some kind," she said. He looked down to the very drunk girl on the couch who was blushing – although it was honestly hard to tell, as her face was so red from the alcohol.

"Right away… and perhaps some water too," he added, looking meaningfully at them. "I'm not sure Master Marcus would like it when his mate is ill tomorrow morning."

Both Athenodora and Sulpicia laughed at that while Anna just turned redder.

He went down to the kitchen to find a chocolate cake in the fridge. Perfect. He couldn't remember how much humans ate and did the mental calculations… she really couldn't eat more than a few slices without puking, no? Especially considering how inebriated she was… he finally decided to just cut the thing in half and placed it on a plate. She deserved a little indulgence.

He ran back to Sulpicia and Aro's rooms and knocked on the door before entering when he heard Dora call for him.

He saw Anna's face light up at the sight of the cake. She stared at it and gushed, "Oh my god that looks good. I swear you guys are like that witch trying to fatten me up before you can bake me in a cake and eat me."

All three vampires weren't sure whether they should laugh or not and the girl suddenly caught on to what she had just said. She seemed to consider for a moment and then added, "Perhaps that was a little too accurate."

She didn't seem at all bothered by the conversation, which caused Dora to add in, "Well, we wouldn't bake you in a cake… that's just a waste."

Anna seemed to find this hilarious and burst out laughing. It was a few moments before she tried to calm her breathing, and then said, "Anna cream pie."

She looked over at Sulpicia, and apparently whatever she saw on her face was hilarious as well, as she was sent into more peals of laughter.

"Alright," Sulpicia said. "That's enough wine for the human."

Anna sighed and relinquished her wine to the beautiful woman before her eyes narrowed in on what Demetri was holding and was reminded again of the most beautiful, most magnificent, most wondrous thing she had ever seen… after Marcus, a slightly more sober part of her mind reminded her.

"Give the cake to me," she said, almost reverently. She didn't break eye contact with it as she reached out for it.

"I'm really not sure if you should-"

"Cake," Anna repeated.

Sulpicia sighed. "Fine," she acquiesced. If she let Marcus' mate go into hypoglycemic shock he would definitely kill her…

But for the time being, she would allow the girl the treat. She deserved it. And she was hilarious when she was intoxicated.

As soon as the cake was set in front of her, she shovelled a large piece of frosting covered dessert in her mouth and moaned around it. "Oh my god this is the best thing I've ever eaten."

She looked up again and saw Demetri was staring at her with equal parts disgust and amusement on his face.

"Would you like to sit?" Anna asked, her mouth still half full of the chocolatey heaven.

"I-" he looked around and saw that neither Sulpicia nor Athenodora seemed opposed and sat down. "Thank you, my Lady."

"Why do you call me that?"

"Because that is what you are. You are Master Marcus' mate, therefore you are my Queen."

"Your _queen?"_

He looked at the other two in confusion and saw them both shaking their heads slightly.

"…. so, how are you enjoying that cake?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

She seemed easily dissuaded when she was drunk and said happily, "It's magnificent. I need to find your chef and hug them because the food here is seriously just…"

She trailed off and seemed to forget about finishing her sentence as she took another bite of chocolate.

She opened her eyes to see Sulpicia and Demitri in some sort of staring contest, their lips twitching a little. With a shock, she realized they must have been having another one of those conversations below her hearing range.

"Are you guys… _talking?"_

They both immediately turned to her and she groaned.

"Ugh, you guys are so cool. Is there anything you _can't_ do?"

"Well, I have not yet found a vampire who can fly without assistance," Sulpicia offered contemplatively and somewhat apologetically.

"There _was_ that Russian child who could manipulate magnetic poles," Dora said.

"Yes, but he had to be wearing metal of some kind to interact with it which counts as assistance."

"Touché, sister."

"Marcus is just so good at everything. And you guys too! How can someone actually be _literally_ perfect?"

"We are certainly not perfect, little sister, we just have a head start at honing ourselves into something nearing it," Dora said.

"And Marcus isn't perfect either, just perfect for _you._ Although he is stronger and more gifted than most others," Sulpicia added.

"What do you mean?" she asked in confusion, pausing with another bite of cake halfway in her mouth.

"Oh, well you know about his gift, I'm sure. And as you can tell, he was a very strong human. That is just amplified as a vampire."

"His gift?" she asked confused.

"He… hasn't told you?"

"No," she said, intrigued suddenly. "What do you mean?"

"Perhaps this is a conversation you should have with him," Sulpicia said cautiously.

She pouted and then turned back to the screen just in time to see Angelina careening from a helicopter into a lake. She snorted and said, "I guess you could say she was really Russian to get out of that helicopter and had no time for Stalin."

A resounding groan from the room responded.

* * *

Marcus walked into Sulpicia's rooms with the rest of his brothers and found his mate asleep on the couch with a blanket tucked over her, his two sisters on the couch, apparently halfway through a movie about Marie Antoinette, if he recognized the period dress and location accurately – which he did.

The room smelled strongly of human food, chemicals from nail polish, and alcohol. The two brothers quickly greeted their mates, each of them distracted from everything else but the other.

He crouched in front of his own mate and ran his hands over her hair, which she was wearing loosely for once. It curled softly, running over her in tangled waves.

She opened her eyes blearily at his touch and shocked more awake when she saw it was him. "Marcus!" she exclaimed, hurling herself into his arms and wrapping hers around his neck tightly. "I didn't think you would be back until tomorrow!"

"It technically is tomorrow," he said softly, smiling at her enthusiasm. He moved them into a more comfortable sitting position on the couch with her across his lap. "And I could not wait to be home with you, piccola."

He could smell the alcohol more strongly now and realized his mate was very clearly very drunk. He cast a look over to wear Dora and Sulpicia were sitting on the couch, looking slightly guilty.

"We only let her have three glasses!"

"It's not their fault," Anna slurred. "I'm a cheap date."

He eyed the remaining quarter of a cake as well and once again looked back at them, giving them another obvious stink eye.

"We've got no excuse for that one," Dora admitted. "She's very demanding when she's drunk."

"I wouldn't be demanding if you wouldn't try and keep me from my delicious cake," Anna replied petulantly.

"You see?" Sulpicia asked teasingly. "Impossible."

"Your face is impossible," Anna grumbled under her breath.

All but Caius smirked at the remark. He was extremely unimpressed with the drunk human's antics and her complete disrespect for his mate and sister. He had spent more than enough of this day around her kind – first during their business transactions and then during Marcus' retribution. He had been looking forward to a human free evening.

Only the look of happiness and his mate's obvious affection for the brat stilled his tongue.

Anna turned back to the TV and pouted, "Aw man, I missed the good part. Has she started at it with that hot Swede yet?"

"Not yet," Dora laughed. "And hot Swede, huh? Marcus, how do you feel about this?"

He laughed. "And here I hoped you liked Greeks."

"Oh Marcus," Anna said and cupped his face. "I do, but…" She waved her hand broadly at the television screen, "Look how tight his pants are."

"Tight pants, you say?" he raised a brow.

She nodded sagely. "Indeed."

"I will take this into consideration."

They settled back into the movie, although Anna and Marcus kept stealing glances at each other throughout it. She felt like a giddy teenager and wanted so badly to fling herself at him. Marie Antoinette had inspired her and she had a sudden need for some thigh high stockings, a feathered hair piece, a large fan and a chaise to lounge on with them.

God, how had she resisted him so far? She was trying to resist her body's reaction as she was certain everyone in the room would be able to smell it and she was not drunk enough to not be bothered by _that._ But it was really hard. Because he looked fantastically edible. In a battle between him and that cake, he would win. Hands down, every time. Okay, most times.

As the credits rolled, she was back to staring at his face.

"I wonder if you taste as good as you look right now," she wondered.

He laughed softly and she realized she must have said it out loud.

"Did I say that out loud?"

"Yes," came Dora's voice across the room.

"I didn't ask you!"

She laughed at that. "Marcus, I think it's bed time for the human."

Marcus raised a brow at the sleepy girl in his arms and said, "Is that true? Should I take you to bed?"

She blushed heavily at the innuendo and nodded hesitantly.

"As you wish," he said, and stood up with her still cradled in his arms. She was asleep before he even made it out the door.

He brought her to his - theirs, he corrected himself - rooms and felt the comfort at how right it felt to have her back, even just for the time being. He set her on the bed and fetched a pair of pajamas for her. She moaned and turned on her side, burrowing into the blankets.

"Ah, ah, ah my mate. You must change into your pajamas, brush your teeth, and drink this bottle of water before you can sleep."

"Too late, already asleep," came her muffled reply.

"Shall I dress you, then?"

She didn't respond and he took that as a yes. He slowly took her pants and socks off, slipping the soft flannel ones over top of her instead and doing the same with her top. He kept his eyes on her face and she watched him through glazed, half lidded eyes the entire time.

He made certain not to ogle her as he wanted to do. It was disrespectful. And this was not sexual in nature. He was merely taking care of his mate, as he was meant to. He could not help but notice she had gained some weight and was not as emaciated as she had been when she first came though, which pleased him immensely. He went to fetch a bottle of water from the kitchen in his study and returned.

He held her head up and held the bottle to her lips. "Drink," he ordered, trying to keep his voice stern so she wouldn't argue.

She did so, although her eyes were closed again and he was certain she was asleep. When he finally tucked her under the covers, she once again grasped his hand before he could pull away.

He took it as her possibly unconscious desire to have him with her and climbed in behind her. Who was he to deny her anything?

He settled in with her in his arms and breathed in her scent. Although tinged with the alcohol, everything was as it should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I feel like I should apologize for this chapter or something. It kind of turned into a crackfic at some point but I just love playful!Volturi. And Anna really wanted that cake and would not rest until I gave it to her. She's a monster when she's drunk (I may or may not have modeled it after my own experiences with alcohol…)


	12. Chapter 12

She moaned as she woke up and tried to turn over onto her back. Her head pounded and the smell of wine seemed to seep out of her every pore. The memories of the night before came flooding back, bringing on more anguished moaning.

She heard a chuckle behind her and a bottle of water being pushed to her lips.

"Not so nice the next morning, is it, tesoro?"

"My head is going to explode and my throat is on fire. I'm never going to drink again."

"You say that now, but the Volturi have an exceptionally well stocked wine cellar."

She groaned again. "Why are you yelling?"

She felt his body shake as he laughed again and then felt his hand guiding a pill into her mouth and the bottle of water back at her lips.

"This should help with the headache, dear one. Breakfast will help as well."

"No. No food."

"It has been a long time since I was a human but I assure you, beloved, I do remember hangovers very well. Trust me on this."

She ended up trusting him and he _was_ right, though she was loath to admit it. Once she finished the breakfast he had set in front of her, she cautiously asked, "Did I really say those things last night?"

She saw his eyes dance with amusement, though his mouth didn't move and he kept a face of polite neutrality, "Say what things, my mate? You will have to be more specific."

She narrowed her eyes and then sighed and covered her face with her hand. "Well, that's it. I can never see your family again."

He finally laughed then and said, "I assure you, they thought it was very amusing."

"That's what I'm worried about!"

He was still laughing until she threw a napkin at him, which only caused him to laugh harder. After a minute of her glowering, he finally sobered himself and looked at her contritely.

"Please forgive me, Tesoro. It is terribly rude of me to laugh at your plight."

She finally smirked and then giggled as well, "I can only blame myself, really. And Dora. She has a _very_ loose hand with that wine."

They were in the library later, as Anna had taken it upon herself to explore every last inch of it, recalling the first time she had been there and hardly able to take a few wobbly steps on her own, let alone explore it as she wanted to. She had wanted to touch everything, smell everything, read every character in every language that graced the walls…

She had still been battered and bruised and feeling the effects of the pneumonia and now here she was, feeling the best she had ever felt in her life both emotionally and physically. It was surreal. Logically, she could tell it was not natural, but couldn't find it in herself to resist it.

It was just that... it _felt_ natural with him. More natural than anything else had ever felt to her. They just fit together. And somehow, they all fit into this strange family as well. It was as if it was meant to be.

Marcus had spoken about his gods before and she realized she had to admit that this all felt distinctly fate-like. She felt she could better understand his belief now, even if she had denied any sort of faith for most of her life. She had experienced too many terrible things to cast her lot in with an invisible being that was supposedly benevolent, but now...

She was brought back to the present when she felt Marcus' hand on her back and he looked at the book in her hands.

"What language is this in?" she asked curiously. She didn't recognize it, although it looked Middle Eastern to her uneducated eyes.

"It is Persian, from approximately 750 CE. It is a collection of poetry."

"It's so beautiful…"

"It is. The art of calligraphy has been long forgotten, it seems."

"Can you read it to me?"

He smiled, apparently very pleased by this idea. "I would be happy to."

They sat in a cozy nook that overlooked the beautiful property. She didn't think such a place could even exist in real life. The chairs were overstuffed and comfortable and perfect to curl up in and the sun was shining on her face.

She didn't bother actually trying to understand the words she was hearing, she just enjoyed having his voice roll over her, pulling her into a soothing trance as she stared out the window at the snow falling softly over what looked like a large garden, although it was barren and covered in snow right now.

When he was finished, they lapsed in a comfortable silence, both watching the snow.

"You guys don't celebrate Christmas, do you?"

"We have not, no. It has been a fascinating tradition to watch flourish, though."

She smiled. "I'm sure. Now we're just blatantly paying our sacrifices to the consumer god rather than the birth of Christ."

"Well, to be fair, he _was_ born in the fall."

She giggled and looked at him. He was just so perfect. How could such a creature be meant for her? The very newly awakened part of her that had been urging to accept him gave her a nudge to be closer to him, to be reassured he was very real and very much hers. She followed that desire to get up and looked at him, silently seeking permission. He opened his arms as if to gesture for her to sit in his lap and she did so happily, snuggling into the cozy place beneath his chin and turning back to the window.

"I remember sitting in front of the window when he would lock me in his bedroom and watching the people walk by… I don't think I could've imagined feeling so happy or having such a beautiful window to look out of... it makes me sad. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve it," she said softly, looking up at him as if he might have an answer for her.

He could smell the tears welling in her eyes and he wished desperately he could give her an answer to that, one that did not involve her blaming herself to rationalize the cruelty of the scum rotting in their dungeons. He had the sudden urge to remove the maggot, to burn it somewhere far away from her. It didn't deserve to be in the same building as his sweet mate, breathing the same air.

"There is no why, cara mia. Or none that I can understand or perceive."

He smelled her tears more strongly now, certain they were spilling down her face, rather than being choked back as she often did with them.

He used his arms to guide her more firmly against his chest and held her as she cried, rocking slightly and humming a tune he hadn't realized he'd known. It seemed to work, as in a few minutes she had cried herself out and was sniffling gently and holding on to him so tightly it felt as if she thought she would die if she let go.

* * *

As was becoming the usual routine, they spent the evening in Sulpicia and Aro's rooms. They were becoming much more familiar and comfortable to her now – no longer cavernous and intimidating as they had been at first. The news was playing on the TV on mute and Dora and Aro were watching it as Sulpicia drew something in her lap.

Caius was nowhere to be seen and she felt a little guilty that it relieved her. He was truly terrifying and the fact that he obviously hated her put her on edge.

She had brought a book with her from the library and was reading it, curled against Marcus' side as his hand lightly played with her hair. She was wearing it down again, something she had not done much since she had been here but enjoyed doing, especially when it encouraged him to touch it. It was a comforting weight, and she felt more secure knowing she could hide her face in it when she blushed, as it was a fairly common occurrence around them. It seemed to amuse them, how flustered she got.

Her instincts pricked at her while she was reading and she looked up from the book to realize Dora was staring at her rather than the TV. She looked back warily, wondering what the beautiful woman was thinking.

"We really should cut your hair," she said.

"What?" Anna squeaked, slightly indignantly, putting the book down. "No! I love my hair." Marcus gave a firmer tug on it as well, as if in agreement.

Sulpicia snorted, though she didn't look up from her drawing.

"Just a trim!" Dora reassured. "Just to make it a little healthier and get rid of the split ends!"

Anna eyed her warily. "I don't know…"

Sulpicia finally looked up and said, "You don't _have_ to, but it would be fun… and we never did get to do the face masks either! Or the eyebrow plucking!"

Anna looked to Marcus for support who shrugged.

"Sisters, don't bully my mate," he said warningly, though even Anna could tell there was no threat behind it.

Clearly he would be no help in this issue. She sighed resignedly. "Fine, but no more than an inch!"

"Of course, sister. If we removed too much, what would Marcus do all day? His poor hands would be idle!"

Sulpicia and Aro laughed at that while Marcus glared.

Dora ignored it and bounced up, apparently very excited about this new activity. "Come on then," she said, and held out her hand as she smiled invitingly. She led her to Sulpicia's room and they sat her around her vanity once again as Sulpicia painstakingly brushed the entire length of hair out. They were left with a frizzy mess, which any girl with curly hair will tell you happens when you attempt to brush it.

Dora walked around and inspected it contemplatively. "How do you feel about bangs? Not a full fringe, of course, just some facial framing."

"Okay I guess…"

"I think it would look quite lovely," Sulpicia added, also contemplating the girl in the mirror. "Side swept, but not too short, of course."

Dora hummed and hawed for another few moments before brandishing the shiny scissors like a sword.

"Are you ready for this, sorellina?"

Anna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Okay, do it."

She felt a snip here and there, and a tug as Dora measured ends and then stepped back and looked at it, then stepped forward again and snipped some more. She didn't open her eyes for it at all, though, unable to bear watching her precious hair fall to the floor.

"Alright, I'm done," Dora said finally. "But no peeking, let me re-curl it."

She heard someone pull something out of a drawer and set it on the vanity and within a minute she felt a curling wand being wrapped around her hair before she heard Dora take a final step back.

"I really am good at this. I should open a salon. Open your eyes."

Anna did so and was immediately stunned. The girl in the mirror couldn't possibly be her… she blinked a few times and sure enough, so did the pretty creature staring back at her with a slightly stunned expression on her face.

"Wow."

The length was still there, falling heavily past her waist in waves, although rather than her usual slightly haphazard natural curls, perfect waves framed her, shining prettily. The bangs Dora had cut weren't exactly bangs, but the hair framed her face just so, making it look less circular and more-

"Wow," she said again.

Dora preened and smiled happily. "I am so glad you like it!"

Anna reached up to pet the pretty red curtain falling around her and turned to smile back at her. "You _are_ really good at this."

"Yes, yes, I know, I know. Now!" She clapped her hands and Anna immediately looked suspicious. "The eyebrows!"

When Anna finally returned to Marcus she felt 2 pounds lighter and about 20 degrees more angular in the brow area. Although, once again, she had to admit that Dora had done an exceedingly good job on both.

He nodded approvingly at her and said, "You look lovely, my darling."

She blushed and smiled at him in happiness at his praise. As she settled back against his side, he spoke up to the rest of the family.

"Anna would like to celebrate Christmas."

Anna immediately sat up again and looked alarmed, "I didn't say that!"

He looked confused and said, "But you asked if we celebrated it and looked very sad when I said we did not."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean you guys have to celebrate it! I mean, I'm not even religious!"

"We've never done Christmas before," Aro said contemplatively. "Aside from that one time at the Schonbrunn-"

"Aro," Sulpicia hissed, and glared at him.

"Right, we don't speak of that," he said, looking slightly contrite.

"It might be fun," Dora said, ignoring them and seeming to consider the idea. "Lets do it!"

"Humans these days like to hang lights and put up a large tree and exchange gifts, correct?" Aro directed the question towards her.

"Well yes but…"

"Ooooh!" Sulpicia squealed. "Let me fetch Demetri! This is so exciting! I _never_ get to decorate the castle after that one St. Marcus feast day-"

"Sulpicia," it was Marcus' turn to hiss. She turned to look at him questioningly and then understanding covered her features. "Oops. Sorry Marcus."

Anna looked at him and said, "St. Marcus feast day?"

He sighed and frowned and said, "The legend goes that the brave Saint Marcus drove all the vampires out of the city. Of course, we know that is quite untrue but it doesn't stop them from persistently celebrating it."

She giggled maniacally. She had to admit, the idea tickled her. "You're _sainted?"_

He raised a brow at her, mocking sternness.

"I suddenly feel like I need to confess my sins…"

* * *

Anna awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon and immediately scrambled out of the covers. Marcus was just setting it on the table and looked up at her in surprise.

"That's all it takes to get you out of bed? Fried pork?"

She didn't respond, was too busy shoving the delicious crispy meat in her mouth at an alarming speed.

When she had finally cleared her plate in way too quick a time, she sighed happily, "That was delicious. Thank you."

"You are welcome, Tesoro. And when you are dressed and ready Sulpicia has a few things to ask you about American Christmas customs."

"Err, alright. Can you tell her I'll be ready in about half an hour?"

"Of course, I will come back for you in half an hour."

Once he was gone and a safe distance away in her estimation, she wandered into the bathroom. She put her hair in a bun to keep it out of the water, as she didn't want to ruin the perfect curls Dora had given her the day before, and luxuriated in the beautiful shower that seemed to have 100 different spouts for water to shoot at her from different angles. There was pretty much every kind of bathing products she could want and endlessly enjoyed taking the time to select one for the day.

After she had pruned herself sufficiently, she got out, dried herself off with a towel from the heated rack, and wandered into the connected closet to figure out what to wear for the day. She ended up choosing more leggings, an oversized knit sweater, and the moccasins she had come to love.

She was rubbing hand cream on her hands as she walked out to find that Marcus had not yet returned, so she cozied up in front of the fire with a book. Not a minute later, there was a knock at the door and she smiled to herself. How strange that she was happier to see him than to read a book…

She skipped to open it and smiled even more broadly when she saw him standing there. She was a little startled when she looked behind him and saw the hallway was now lined with small potted evergreens with twinkling lights and tinsel on them.

"Oh my god," she muttered.

"You have not even seen half of it yet, piccola… she's been at it all night."

As they walked down the hall, Anna saw more of the decorations… garland wrapped around curtain rods, fairy lights lining doorways, massive evergreens standing in the corner and covered in beautiful decorations…

"She really doesn't do anything halfway, does she?"

He led her into a part of the castle she had not been in yet. It seemed more formal, less like the living quarters she was used to. The hall they were taking eventually led to a massive grand staircase – the bannister had more garland wrapped around it with golden pinecones and sprigs of holly in it, as well as more beautiful lights interwoven through it. The staircase led into a great hall, which looked as if Christmas elves had puked all over it.

Sulpicia was directing two men who were holding an evergreen that had to be at least 50 feet tall.

"A little to the right… hmmmm no. A little to the back… Demetri, fix the branches close to you they seem a little too sparse… There we are! Perfect! Ah, Anna! Here you are. I wanted to ask you whether Americans still place an angel on the tree. I had the guard go and find a few, however I thought perhaps some stars might be preferable so I acquired some of those too."

"I think both are used, it just depends on preference…"

"Excellent! I do like variety!"

She promptly ignored them and turned back to the tree, saying, "I think this one needs more ribbon…"

Anna looked back at Marcus and her shock and slight horror must've been obvious, as he looked very amused, "Let her have her fun, piccola. She never gets to decorate the castle."

She eyed him warily and said, "You don't think it's a bit much?"

He smirked and said, "Of course it is, but you will find the Volturi family does not do anything modestly, as you yourself pointed out."

She laughed and all of a sudden her face went still with dread and she said, "Oh god, she hadn't gotten to the library, has she?"

* * *

Anna had to check on her beloved library, only to find that Sulpicia had decorated that as well - although she was relieved to find it was a little more modest. She had only added another grand tree decorated in lights, tinsel, and a ribbon, as well as some garland circling the bannisters around the staircases to the other levels and, much to Anna's embarrassment, a sprig of mistletoe in the reading nook where she and Marcus usually sat.

He had smiled mischievously as he pointed it out. She burned bright red but leaned up to kiss him quickly and lightly.

They sat and read for a few hours – or, more accurately, Anna read and Marcus alternated between looking at her and looking back at his own book. She was the perfect picture of beauty sitting there, illuminated by the light from the window, her pale skin glowing lightly and her hair ghosting over her breasts and casting a red shadow over her, a book in her hands and her eyes downcast…

"Wait here, Tesoro. I will not be a minute."

She looked up, slightly startled, but nodded. He walked at a human pace toward the door, but from there ran to his own rooms. He retrieved a book of heavy paper and a stick of charcoal and ran back, returning to her within 2 minutes.

He forced himself to slow to a pace she would not find alarming and sat back down. She had not moved much, was back to looking out the window and fiddling with a corner of the book in her lap. She smiled when she saw him again and looked curiously at his hands.

"I would like to draw you in this light, Tesoro, if you do not mind."

"I- well – alright. Where would you like me? Or how should I sit? Or-"

"Just as you are – just read your book as you were before."

"O-okay," she was blushing now, could feel him scrutinizing her. She tried to focus on her book but found that she could not, as she could feel his eyes on her.

She peeked up and saw him smiling softly at her and blushed further. He pointedly turned his head toward the window, not looking at her anymore.

She watched him for a few moments and realized he wasn't going to draw her until she was comfortable again and not feeling like a bug under a microscope. She sighed and smiled at him before returning to her book.

When he heard her heartbeat return to its normal rhythm and the scent of her embarrassment faded, he looked back toward her, his exquisite little mate…

She had been fully engrossed in her book once again when he cleared his throat. She automatically looked up, wide eyed and distracted and saw the book in his hands.

"Oh! Have you finished?"

"Yes, I have."

"Could I… see it?"

He held the book out toward her and she looked down at it. His drawing was flawless, the lines all fluid and perfect, the blending immaculate… but surely that could not be her. The girl in the picture was beautiful. Her hair curled in ways Anna's never could, and her face was lovely and serene. She sat curled in a chair with a book on her lap and her hand on her arm, a large sweater draped over her but didn't hide the curve of a breast…

"Is this how you see me?"

"Yes, and I do have exceptional eyesight. It is very accurate, although not nearly as lovely as the real thing."

She blushed at his words but forced herself to look into his eyes.

He looked at her peculiarly then, tilting his head to the side. He got up and crouched in front of her, a hand on either armrest, effectively trapping her in. But rather than frightening her or making her want to escape, she felt protected – comforted.

"You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, piccola. Believe me. I do not lie to you. And I have seen a great deal."

She blushed, but held his gaze. She had tears in her eyes when she said, "When I first saw you, I thought you were an angel. I have never felt anything like I do when I am with you… I can't help but think I was made for you."

"And I for you, my darling."

* * *

From their table in the corner, Anna, Marcus, and Demetri were watching Aro and Dora argue about whether the angel on top of the tree should have a gold bow, or only be dressed in pure white. It was getting quite heated, with Sulpicia and Caius off to the side also watching the spectacle with amusement.

Dora had started growling lowly as she snarled, "She is an _angel of the_ _Lord._ She must only wear pure white! The angels did not care for such human fripperies! Have you even _read_ the original Greek, you loathsome sycophant?"

Aro had narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms in front of his chest petulantly. "It is _tradition_ to honour the angels this way or do you not remember the Italian Renaissance because you and Caius were too busy _INSPIRING DANTE'S INFERNO?"_

"No one _died,_ if your recall and _it made him famous!_ The ends justify the means!" she growled.

"How very Machiavellian of you, _Melpomene."_

" _First of all, how dare-"_

Anna looked back at Marcus with a look of slightly amused horror on her face, "It's possible I shouldn't have brought up Christmas at all."

"Hmmmm, so it seems," he said, similarly with a smile on his face.

She turned back to the chessboard in front of them where she and Demetri had been playing while Marcus spectated, before the whole angelic debacle. She took a sip of the wine in front of her and glowered slightly at the board.

Demetri made a move. "You really would make an atrocious war general. Your troops would be dead within minutes," he told her dryly.

She countered it with another move. "Yes, but they would be well fed. I have my priorities."

Marcus' phone rang suddenly and she jumped a little and looked over toward him. He was looking at it, sighed slightly, and said, "I must take this. I will be but a moment, piccola."

She smiled at him and nodded before turning back to the board. He was speaking in rapid Italian and looked annoyed.

Demitri moved a pawn and she looked at the board and pouted. "What?! No fair, you can't checkmate me with a pawn!"

She glared and turned toward her mate who was just placing his phone back in his pocket, "Marcus!"

He was there in an instant, standing beside the table and looking at the board intently. "My love, this is appalling. How could you allow him to best you with a pawn?"

"I didn't mean to!"

He sighed, "We cannot behead the guard because you cannot play chess. It would incite a riot and then who would put up the lights around the castle?"

She pouted, looking strikingly similar to Aro's previous stance. "Well, what are you going to give me in return? I expect something of equal or greater value."

"As you are my mate, it is my duty to avenge you, of course. Demetri, another game?"

"Of course, my Lord!"

Marcus beat him in 6 moves as she watched on in astonishment.

Demetri sighed. "I have never yet won a game against you, my Lord, and I'm not sure I still harbour much hope that I ever will."

"Let's try again next century, shall we?"

"Best tracker in the world, and still can't win a game of chess…" he muttered.

Anna picked up on it. "Tracker?"

"Yes, that is my gift," he said absentmindedly, still staring at the board.

"Everyone keeps saying that but I don't quite understand what it means…"

Marcus looked at her, considering. "You have seen that vampires have heightened strength and senses, but some talented humans also bring their own special talents into this life as well and they, too, are amplified. Demetri can pick up on the… flavour, of someone's thoughts, for lack of better word, and find them where ever they are across the globe. I can see relationships between people, and Aro can read every thought one has ever had just by touching them."

Her eyes widened as she realized… she had touched Aro… oh my god he knew everything.

Marcus smiled gently at her, "I know what you are thinking and we have never seen this before, but Aro cannot read you."

She was even further stunned and asked, "What do you mean?"

The room had gone silent and she hadn't realized it. "Just as he said, my dear," Aro said. "When I touched you, it was all a blur. I couldn't make out anything clearly."

"And… that's never happened before?"

"Never. Some humans are already gifted, as it seems you are. You are a shield which is so powerful it has manifested in your human form! It means you were truly meant to be one of us. When you are reborn into this life, your gifts will be unrivalled," he sounded so excited about it.

"Well… that's very… interesting." She was still stunned from this news.

Marcus interrupted her thoughts when he said, "Would you like to go to bed now, piccola? It is getting late."

"Sure," she said, absentmindedly, and followed him back to her room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Dante's Inferno: Part of the Divine Comedy, written by Dante Alighieri in the late Medieval period/early Renaissance. It describes Dante's vision of a journey through hell, describing the various sinners and punishments and landscape etc.
> 
> Machiavelli: A Renaissance humanist writer, known for The Prince, a veritable how-to book for how to achieve glory and power and justifying the various ways you achieve them.
> 
> Melpomene: The Muse of Tragic Poetry.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: If you can't vote, you're probably too young to read this. Please go find some other lovely story to read and come back when you're legally an adult.

She was standing in a hallway in the hospital having just finished her rounds. It was the middle of summer in West Africa and she could feel a bead of sweat dripping down her spine under her scrubs.

"Ebola," Miette said.

"What?" Anna asked, as if she hadn't heard. Her mind was reeling.

"There's an outbreak in a village south of here, and some of the poorer neighbourhoods are beginning to develop symptoms too. I heard the epidemiologist talking to Dr. Bronn, he said we would be in full-scale epidemic within the week."

Anna felt as if she was going to faint. "Ebola? What are we going to do? We're not equipped for an epidemic! Just last week we almost ran out of latex gloves!"

When they returned to the dormitories there was a flyer on the door informing all Medecins Sans Frontieres staff that there was a mandatory meeting that evening. The chief of surgery confirmed what Miette had said. They were about to enter an epidemic.

"All medical personnel who does not wish to stay will be flown out in the morning. I need you to really consider this decision. Think of your families back home. Think of whether you can weather this storm that's coming – I'm talking 7 days a week, 18 hours a day on the clock. This is an incredibly infectious and deadly disease; it's not going to be pretty. They're flying more supplies in within two days and we're getting a few new hands but it's going to be rough. We're likely going to be put on quarantine, so I need you to be sure about your decision. There's no second guessing."

The next morning, Anna said goodbye to Miette.

"Are you sure you're not going to leave, Anna? Please, there's still time…"

"I have no family, nothing waiting for me back home. And I'm needed here. Really, I'll be fine. We have protocols to follow to protect us, and now I'm going to have something great to put on my CV!"

Miette forced a laugh at her friend's attempt to reassure her and knew then that she would not persuade the girl to see reason. "Au revoir, mon ami. Bonne chance."

The scene changed.

The woman in front of Anna had been admitted to the hospital less than two days ago. A few hours after that, she began vomiting blood. This would have been a normal scene in Anna's life for the past couple weeks – she had lost how many it had been – except that the woman was seven months pregnant.

"Just one more push, then you'll have a beautiful baby," she urged, becoming anxious. The woman had been pushing for hours now. Her body was already weakened from the illness and Anna felt certain the blood loss and infection was going to kill her. The child would likely also be infected because of the exposure to his infected mother's blood - if it even survived at all, as it was premature and they had no neonatal unit. They couldn't do a C-section to try and prevent contamination because the woman wasn't strong enough and they hardly had enough resources to run the hospital as it was, let alone put together a surgical team and power an OR. Nothing in her training had prepared her for this. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't save either of them, could only witness and lead them as they hurtled towards that dark night.

She saw the woman strain again, screaming out in agony, and finally a small body slipped into the world. Anna swiftly picked him up and all the colour drained from her face. Stillborn.

Silence.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "I'm so, so sorry."

As she looked at the woman's waxy face and the rush of blood cascading from her body, Anna realized she was speaking to a corpse.

She wheeled the body to the morgue, only to stop outside it. There were already bodies piled in the hallway. The morgue was overflowing with the dead. What was she supposed to do with these bodies – this young woman and the precious child who had never even breathed the air of this world? Was she just to leave them rotting in this hallway? Where were the grave diggers who had been disposing of them into mass graves, hardly even taking the time to identify each lost soul? Where was the humanity? With the influx of epidemic, it all seemed to have fled the building, along with the piles of bodies. Anna slid down the wall nearest to her, huddling on the floor, wanting to cry.

She should have left. Miette was right. She thought she was going to do some good, help people who were sick, bring comfort… all the reasons she had pursued medicine so single-mindedly in the first place. But she wasn't. All she ended up doing was sitting with dead bodies and wondering where she went wrong. Even sleep was no comfort. In it, the faces of all the dead came to her, haunting her, as she tried to figure out how she could've saved them.

The scene changed again.

"Air born."

"What do you mean air born?" A Medecins Sans Frontieres virologist was talking to Dr. Bronn.

"I've been tracking its evolution through samples. For the last four deaths, they were infected with a new mutated strand and it's transmitted through the air, not only through blood contact. We need to start evacuating."

"You expect me to just leave these people to die?"

"I expect you to think of your own personnel. They don't have to die. I'm going to notify the board of what I've found, and then I'm going to implement evacuation procedures."

It was already too late, though. The scene changed again.

Anna looked at one of the nurses – Valentina was her name, she remembered – that only yesterday had been working with her, smiling at her, reminding her that there was still a great big world outside of this dying country where people still smiled and lived happy, carefree, healthy lives.

Valentina had just breathed her last. The medical staff had started dropping like flies from the new mutated strand before they could even begin evacuating. It burned through them in less than a day. There was only her and three other nurses left. Everyone was dead. Everyone. There were bodies piled everywhere, screaming, crying, blood, vomit, excrement… she didn't remember the last time she slept, didn't remember anything except the foul stench of death.

She closed the woman's eyes and calmly walked away from the body. She didn't stop walking until she found a cupboard that used to house sterile equipment. There was a small vent high up which let in a small amount of fresh air but the scent of death still permeated everything. She screamed. She screamed until her voice was hoarse.

She was alone… she was all alone… they were all dead and soon she would be too.

The door opened but she didn't look up. She didn't know when she had curled into a ball, nor how long she had been there.

Joseph Acerbi stood above her. She could hardly tell it was him from the protective gowns and face coverings he was wearing, but she knew that slick voice. "Come with me."

* * *

She sat up with a start, her breath heaving, frantically looking around for him, expecting Joseph to be standing above her again as he led her from a quick death to a slow one again.

But he wasn't. Her eyes focussed on the ornate fireplace across from her and looked around the room, finally realizing she wasn't in Nigeria or that foul apartment in Rome. She was in Volterra. With Marcus. Who was currently kneeling beside her, purring for her, and speaking to her in soothing tones.

"You are safe, piccola. Nothing will harm you. I will not allow it."

She finally turned to look at him, her eyes focussing on him rather than the dazed, terrified, and cornered look she had had before as she frantically looked around the room.

"I dreamed I was back there… it seemed so real…"

"It was only a dream, my darling. Feel me. I am real, I am right here," he held out his hand and she grasped it, feeling the cold, hard weight of it. He leaned back against the headboard and opened his arms, inviting her to sit where he knew she felt safe and protected.

She didn't think twice, clambering into his embrace and settling her head under his chin as her legs draped over his and she sat across his lap.

"Do you wish to talk about it?"

"No."

He purred and she felt his face press against her hair, inhaling deeply.

"I wish I could have saved you from all the pain you have been caused."

"Me too," she whispered. She knew that the rhetoric of 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' was popular, but she didn't care for it. Make her weak. Make her utterly dependent on him. Make her boring. She would've taken it all to be spared what she had seen.

His hand began its stroking of her hair, running his fingers through the long silky strands. When he encountered a knot, he untangled it so skillfully she didn't even feel the tug. She didn't know how long they sat there, but she finally felt herself begin to relax. She nuzzled her face into his neck, breathing in his scent.

It made sense really, that her heightened emotions and close proximity would result this way. She wanted to feel alive, really _feel_ that she was here, with him, and that he would protect her. Between his scent, his purring, and the feel of his firm body around her, Anna felt her body responding… the tightening began in her belly again and all she wanted was to straddle him and grind against him between her legs.

She knew what sex was and she was familiar with her own anatomy – she was a doctor for goodness' sake. And while all her experience with sex had been horrible and painful, she felt she had a functional working understanding of that too.

But she had never felt anything like this before. She was beginning to understand what her friends were talking about when they talked about their own sexual experiences. Yes, she had known what sex was, it was just that she had never considered it in relation to herself. Never fantasized. Never opened herself to the possibility. Never even dated. Until now.

She heard him inhaling deeply and coloured when she realized he could probably smell it… if their hearing was so good, it made sense that their smell would be as well, didn't it?

"Can you… smell me?" she asked, her voice squeaky and embarrassed.

His purr stuttered as he laughed and then increased, turning velvety soft and deeper. "Yes, my darling, I can smell your arousal. It is exquisite."

Her blush deepened and she hid her face further in his neck. "That's so embarrassing."

"Why is it embarrassing to be attracted to your mate? It is the most natural thing in the world."

"Yeah but…" she shivered. His voice was just making it worse. It was so deep and reassuring and the knot in her belly grew tighter. She pressed her thighs together, clinging closer to him.

He ceased stroking her hair and moved his hand to her chin, tilting it up to his face. He leaned in slowly, pressing his lips to hers. She responded instantly, gasping and throwing her hands around his neck to pull herself tighter to him. His hand left her chin to stroke down her neck to her shoulder and lightly brushed over her breast before grasping her waist. She gasped at the sensation and felt her nipples respond to his touch, hardening obviously through the thin shirt. His other hand remained on her back, using it to maneuver her body closer to his so that their torsos were flush.

She felt how hard he was – everywhere. The growing erection was obvious against her hip and it shocked her. She paused against his mouth and tried to navigate through her emotions. She felt nervous. Her experience with that appendage was all overwhelmingly negative, though he did not draw her notice to it or make her uncomfortable with it. However she couldn't deny that she also felt intensely aroused. She wanted to feel him, taste him, and see him. This was Marcus. Perfect, beautiful, wonderful Marcus. There couldn't be a single part of him that wasn't perfect, beautiful, and wonderful. He was the exact opposite of Joseph in every way. She didn't need to fear him, even if she could feel his erection growing against her.

She realized he was looking at her, watching her process, and she wanted to hide her face again. He didn't allow it, instead he leaned in to kiss her mouth again – softly, almost chastely, before kissing across her jaw to her neck. He sucked her earlobe into his mouth and pressed a kiss behind the shell of it. He continued his kisses down the side of her neck and to the dip of the v-neck of the pyjama shirt.

The pyjamas Athenodora and Sulpicia had gotten her ranged from perfectly functional flannel sets, to risqué negligees that she was sure were not meant to be worn for long and she had begun choosing something in the middle. She was not nearly confident enough to wear those flimsy, gauzy pieces of fabric that showed more than they covered, but she enjoyed the way Marcus tracked her with his eyes when she wore these tissue thin t-shirts with matching shorts. She knew the shape of her breasts and ass were clearly defined in them, and she knew he enjoyed that, as she had felt his eyes tracking her in them multiple times.

His kisses didn't go further than the neckline allowed, but instead moved back up to the other side of her neck before finishing at her mouth again. This time he attacked it with gusto, thrusting his tongue inside and tasting her like a dying man. She startled – they had never kissed so deeply before – but moaned at the feeling. His thrusting tongue felt like it was teasing her, imitating another intimate act… she blushed again at the direction of her own thoughts.

When he finally released her mouth, her lips were swollen and she was gasping for air. He had a hungry look on his face, which should have frightened her, considering she knew he fed from humans, but it didn't. It only made her want to offer herself up as a feast for him.

His hands gripped her hips and turned her so she was straddling him, rather than sitting across his lap. He pulled her hips closer and she moaned as she realized he had settled her centre right over his erection. His hands remained on her hips, gripping them so tightly it was almost uncomfortable. He groaned as she ground herself harder into him, her eyelids fluttering at the sensation it caused against her aching sex. He returned his lips to her neck, sucking at it. It would leave a mark, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"I can feel how wet you are," he growled against her skin. She whimpered and ground herself harder against him. His hands began guiding her hips in a push-pull motion against him, grinding her up the length of him and pressing down. A strangled moan escaped her throat as he continued guiding her. _Push, pull, push, pull, push, pull._

She felt the knot tighten even further and became frenzied. Her hands tangled in his hair and she buried her face against his neck, pressing frantic kisses to all his exposed skin and allowing him to continue guiding and directing her movements with his grip on her hips.

She could feel her release growing closer with every movement. The intensity of the approaching wave almost frightened her. _Push, pull, push, pull, push, pull._

"Relax, piccola. Let it happen. Let me take care of you."

His words pushed her over and she felt her first orgasm crash over her and engulf her. From the top of her head to the tips of her curling toes, it felt as if everything within her convulsed and released. She cried out, her hips stuttering as she shuddered, however he kept up the rhythm. _Push, pull, push, pull, push, pull._

It sent her careening even more forcefully into the sensation. She felt her sex fluttering, clenching and releasing as it rode out the overwhelming wave. Her mind went blank, everything encompassed by a blinding brightness. An indescribable soul deep satisfaction settled over her. She released his hair and relaxed into him bonelessly.

She heard him suddenly let out something between a cry and a moan and felt something cold and wet seeping into the front of his pants, realizing he had also reached his orgasm. She was breathing hard and still seated firmly on the wet spot on his pants where both their releases were mingling.

Where previously she had experienced mind numbing ecstasy, now all she wished was to wrap herself up in him and drift off into sleep. She cuddled into him, wrapping her arms about his waist and holding him tightly. His own hands finally released her hips, one reaching lower to lightly grasp her bottom and the other beginning to stroke her back. Between that and the orgasm, she was asleep within seconds.

* * *

He must have changed his pants and removed hers once she was asleep, for when woke she was in a different pair than the ones they slept in and his had no suspicious stains on them. She blushed when she remembered what they had done and snuggled further into his embrace, settling her hips against his. She felt his arms tighten about her in response.

"Bashful again, beloved? What on earth could have triggered that this morning?" His voice was teasing.

"Oh, hush," she whispered, mortified.

"You are well?" he asked, seriously.

"I am more than well," she said in a small voice with a blush. "I understand what all the fuss is about now."

His hands stroked down her waist to her hip and up again. "Me as well. I cannot recall a more… _satisfying_ … morning. And that was your first…?"

She could hear the shock in his voice and could tell what he was trying to ask. Not wanting to ruin the morning with talk of her horrific previous experiences, she said, "I have never felt… that… before."

"Not even on your own?"

"Never," she said, blushing more deeply.

He purred loudly in response. Instead of his hand continuing its circuit from her waist to her hip, it slipped forward to cup her breast. "I find that most satisfying."

She giggled with embarrassment and her stomach chose that time to grumble loudly, demanding their attention.

"Such a demanding mate," he said. "I shall run you a bath and then fetch your breakfast."

She felt him disentangling himself from her and clutched him harder. She knew her strength was no match for his, but he stopped anyway. "My stomach can wait a few minutes longer," she said.

When they finally emerged from his bed, he made good on his promise of running her a bath, including utilizing one of the "bath bombs" Athenodora had insisted they get her. It smelled of lilac and vanilla, rather than the harsh chemical scents many soaps had now, and he relented. If she enjoyed fragrant frothy bubbles in her bath, she would have them.

He sat on the bed next to where she was still cuddled into the blankets. "Whenever you are ready, it is waiting, my love," he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Hurry back," she whispered, embarrassed by how clingy she was being. His eyes narrowed in on her neck and a soft purr escaped him. She brought a hand up to the tender flesh and realized he must've succeeded in marking her.

"I will," he purred.

She took off her pyjamas and slipped into the bath. It was the perfect temperature for her and filled with bubbles that smelled of lilacs. It was so luxurious she felt as if she might just go back to sleep right there. Sulpicia's renovations had included a massive soaker tub that would easily fit both her and Marcus twice over. A large window sat across from her, giving her a beautiful view of vineyards and the sunrise. Everything felt perfect.

* * *

Marcus gave himself time to think as he retrieved his mate's breakfast from the cook. He had planned to draw out the torture of the scum in the dungeons… perhaps even for years. It had been recovering for a few days from his earlier assault and he had looked forward to many, many more. But he suddenly found himself uninterested in it.

In fact, he began to feel quite uneasy at the thought of his mate even sharing the same space as it. Their sweet coupling the night before made him realize how far his mate had come in her time with him. He couldn't imagine the injured, petrified girl who had laid in his bed only weeks ago doing such a thing with him. But she had. She was accepting her role in his life as his mate, and while part of him still wished retribution as her mate, he also wanted to give her a clean end and dispose of the filth that had plagued her. He wanted to give her more room to grow into this life and he felt sure that he could not give it to her if he was still holding onto what had injured her so badly in the first place.

Decided, he brought her her tray and could hear her in the bath still. He knocked on the bathroom door, "Piccola, do you wish me to bring your breakfast to you or would you prefer me to leave it out here for when you are finished?"

He heard a splash as she startled from his knock.

"You can come in," she said, although her voice sounded slightly uncertain. She was still so nervous about her body and he wished he could allay all her fears. He entered, being mindful not to ogle her or do anything that would make her uncomfortable or self-conscious. Through the bubbles, he could not see more of her body than the delicate shoulders which were above the waterline and found the effect highly erotic. He ignored his reaction, as she clearly was not in the mood to be propositioned by him and was likely feeling misplaced embarrassment from their intimacy.

He set the tray on a small shelf that went across the tub and held an assortment of washcloths and bathing products and then sat on the floor against the vanity to observe her. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and inched toward the tray, not wanting to sit up too far and bare her breasts. Her reaching allowed only the soft rising of the tops of them to be shown and he nearly groaned at the sight, unable to look away until she settled back again and they were recovered. She was such a tease.

"I have some business to attend this morning, will you be alright for a few hours?"

She paused, having been about to take a bite of the citrus fruit in her hands. "Of course, I'll see if Sulpicia or Dora are free. What are you going to do?"

"I have some loose ends I must take care of."


	14. Chapter 14

Marcus ventured to the dungeon, feeling slightly ambivalent about what he was about to do. One of the lower guard were guarding the creature's cell and he dismissed her to go fetch Demetri.

He opened the door and saw the slime cower in response to the sound. The room was freezing cold and the floor hard and jagged. It smelled of human urine, excrement, and vomit, with a hint of blood was still present as well.

It backed itself up to the farthest wall from him, its leg clearly broken and the shuffling was pained and awkward. It gave Marcus immense satisfaction to see something that had caused his mate so much hurt to be reduced to this. He casually strolled over put pressure on the broken calf with his foot, increasing it slightly and enjoying the look of horror on its face. It screamed in agony in response, trying to wrench the broken limb away.

"Tell me, why did you think you could every possess my mate? You are not even worthy of looking upon her, let alone laying your filthy hands on her flesh."

"I didn't know… I didn't," it blubbered.

"Your ignorance could possibly be excused, and yet your treatment of her can never be forgiven. You harmed her, raped her, locked her away as a prisoner. I am not unfamiliar to cruelty, but even I cannot seem to understand why those things would be necessary except that you enjoyed it. She was weak and frightened. Clearly she was no threat and did nothing to necessitate such treatment. You hurt her for no sake but your own satisfaction."

It cried harder. He increased the pressure on the leg, causing an agonized screech.

"I liked it, okay? Please stop," it sobbed. "Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Clearly you must be taught some manners. That is no way to treat a woman."

"She didn't respect me! She wanted to run from me even though I saved her!"

"And what did you save her from?"

"She would've died in that hospital but I wanted her so I saved her and I took her back to Rome with me. She would've died, but I saved your mate," clearly it was trying to bargain with him. He almost scoffed at it.

"Why did you not send her back to her own country, if you are so selfless as to save her? Why did you hold her hostage and violate her?"

It didn't answer him. Before it could process anything, he had grabbed its hand and broken its finger, bending it all the way back to the wrist. He moved to the next finger, holding it, waiting for it to answer him. It was screeching and Marcus increased the pressure on the finger in a silent threat, waiting for it to answer him.

"She owed me! I saved her and she wouldn't even look at me! She just wanted to leave, but I couldn't let her!"

"You could have," Marcus corrected. "And you should have. She is my mate, my other half and destined to be with me, but if she desired to leave I would allow it. That is how one treats the one they love."

"I'm sorry," it sobbed again.

"You are not. But you will be."

Demetri arrived then, looking at the broken creature with revulsion.

"I understand you have been interested in studying the effects of venom on bone tissue?"

"Yes, Master."

"I gift you a new subject. I think it shall last quite a while if you are careful. But don't be too gentle. Remove it from the castle and take it far away from here."

"Thank you, Master. That is most generous," he said, staring hungrily at the sniveling thing on the floor.

Marcus considered it for another moment and then snapped the leg at the femur with his foot. The creature howled in shock before passing out from the pain. He nodded at Demetri and left.

He immediately went to his rooms, hearing his mate in Athenodora's sitting room and revelling in the closeness of her purity and light after the filth he had just wallowed in. He threw his clothes and shoes in the fire, not wanting to allow any part of them to contaminate her, before showering himself to rid him of the stench of the dungeons. It took him a minute and he was finished, dressing himself again in a fitted suit and robes, eager to return to her.

Anna had been sitting in Dora's sitting room, which was remarkably like Sulpicia's, however every single wall was lined with intricate built in bookshelves, aside from a fresco on one wall which covered almost the entire surface, depicting her and Caius as Venus and Mars in a very suggestive position. When she had first seen it, it had made her blush and avert her eyes and now she pointedly avoided even looking in the direction of that wall, which Dora seemed to find exceptionally amusing.

She had spent almost an hour browsing the titles on the shelves and flipping through any book which caught her interest before settling on Ovid's _Metamorphoses._ It seemed fitting, considering the amount of mythological references throughout the castle. She idly flipped through it before landing on the Perseus episode. She read through his conquering of Medusa and felt oddly sympathetic to the gorgon. After all, she hadn't been hurting anyone. She was just trying to live with her sisters in peace and protect herself from the violation and treachery of men. She could understand that.

Anna was startled out of her musing when Marcus returned to her, slipping his arm around her and leaning closer to see what she was reading. He chuckled at it. "A traitor in my midst, I see! Favouring Perseus over Theseus, saviour of Athens!"

She looked at him dryly. "Don't tell me the legend is based on you after you wrestled with some cow and got in a bunch of bar fights."

He laughed heartily. "Thankfully not."

She smiled at him then. "Good, because I won't be Ariadne, left on an island to be picked up by Dionysus."

"I would never leave you to such a fate… but perhaps Apollo is more your type?"

She was reminded of his depiction as the god on Sulpicia's ceiling and pretended to consider it. "Hmm, perhaps… although he did not have the best luck with women."

"Then I cannot possibly be him, for I have been most fortunate in that regard."

He looked at her with such warmth and love in his eyes that she nearly melted. She leaned up to kiss him chastely before blushing and averting her eyes. His eyes twinkled and he changed the subject so she would not become flustered. "I believe Sulpicia has a surprise for us all," he announced.

"A surprise?" his mate asked, curiosity intrigued.

"Indeed," he said. "Although I believe you will need some warmer clothing."

He led her back to her own room – now almost completed, aside from a few extra décor pieces Sulpicia insisted were necessary. He stood her in the closet and searched through her things, finding the necessary articles and began bundling her. He put an extra sweater over the one she already wore, along with a pashmina which he wrapped around her neck and a large cowl he put over that. He insisted she put a pair of jeans over her leggings and laced up a pair of boots over her thick socks before covering everything in a lovely plum coloured pea coat. She stood patiently and compliantly, allowing him to dress her as if she was a child until she could hardly move how bundled she was and had the distinct mental image of the Michelin man.

"Is this really necessary?" she inquired.

"Yes. I will not have my mate catching cold."

She sighed, "Alright then, but can we leave now? I'm going to start sweating with all these layers."

He picked her up, startling her, before tucking her head against his neck. "I will not drop you. You are safe," he said, before he ran. She realized why he reassured her first, as the speed which he moved in made her certain she was falling and was definitely _not safe._ And if she fell at this speed, surely she would be hardly more than a puddle on the floor, or at least severely maimed. She made a squeaking noise and clung to him.

The rush of air she felt and the blur of walls around her was a shock and she panicked for a moment before remembering his assurance. Still, she hid her face totally against him, quite certain she did not appreciate this method of transportation. Seconds later, he gently eased her back on her feet but caught her again when her knees gave out and she almost collapsed. She was breathing hard, her eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"Are you well, piccola?"

She was clearly attempting to regulate her breathing and nodded. "Just give me a minute for my head to stop spinning."

He purred, reaching out to pull her against him. "Perhaps we will go slower next time."

"Next time?" she asked incredulously from where she was nuzzling his chest. He purred louder in response. He gave her a moment to cling to him and reorient herself before pulling back to examine her face and ensure she was righted again.

"Come, they are waiting. Sulpicia is quite pleased with herself."

She huffed and extracted herself from him. He had brought them to a dark hallway. She could hardly see what was in front of her, other than the slight outline of a door. He opened it and it creaked noisily. In the light she saw that the handle was extremely dated and rusting. Clearly no one used this part of the castle often.

He led her out into the dusky light of late afternoon. They seemed to have exited the castle, having emerged from a wall that rose magnificently behind her. He led her around slowly, as the snow was deep and it took her longer to trudge through it, before they found where the rest of the family had convened.

Anna's breath caught at the sight. Marcus wasn't kidding when he had mentioned needing someone to put lights up on the castle. Sulpicia had outdone herself. She hadn't yet gotten a look at the exterior of the castle, although she should've guessed the grandeur of it from what she had seen of the inside.

It was a grand gothic fortress with multiple towers, pointed arches, and a great vaulted ceiling over one of the lower towers. She could see the rounded white marble of the library poking out beside it. And it was all covered in brilliantly white snow and twinkling lights that were strung over the edges of the roofs of the towers and along the outer wall, looking every bit the part of a fairy tale castle. She was speechless and her mouth gaped open.

"Is this how Americans do it?" she heard Sulpicia ask. "I wasn't quite sure what mode to put the lights on but…" she heard her continue talking but could hardly absorb it until the woman looked at her expectantly, clearly waiting for an answer.

"It's hard to say, really… Americans don't generally have castles."

Caius was clearly unimpressed. "It's gaudy and unbecoming of us," he stared daggers at Sulpicia before turning his ire to Anna, who shrank closer to Marcus.

"The day I take decorating advice from you is the day I turn to ash," Sulpicia told him tartly, glaring. "Aro, my love, what do _you_ think?"

"It's marvelous as always, beloved," he said dotingly. "You have an exquisite talent."

She positively beamed in response to him.

Dora elbowed Caius before agreeing, "It's very festive, dear sister. You have done a beautiful job."

As Anna watched their exchange, she realized she was the only one bundled up. The rest were still in their suits and dresses, which seemed incredibly unfair to her. She may have been the only one susceptible to the cold but still... she felt even more graceless in their presence than usual, which would not do, she thought to herself.

In an effort to even the score, she had a rush of mischief and reached down to grab a handful of snow which she packed into a ball. Marcus looked at her curiously before turning back to the debate Dora and Sulpicia were having about whether they should remodel the west wing.

When his back was turned, Anna immediately launched her snowball at him, hitting him square between the shoulder blades. He froze and they all turned back to look at her incredulously, making her giggle uncontrollably at their faces. She reached down again, made another snowball, and this time threw it at Sulpicia, giggling maniacally.

They all unfroze suddenly and four snow balls pelted toward her, although she couldn't see who they were from. She screamed in delight and laughed harder. "Marcus, save me!"

He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and she heard Dora crying out, "No, don't hit me! This is vintage Dior!"

He deposited her several yards away and was a mere blur before her, and then suddenly a wall appeared, which he had apparently built out of snow. "You are a _very_ demanding and presumptuous mate, hitting me with the snow and then requesting saving! I shall require recompense for this." She could tell he was teasing and blushed.

She heard Dora screaming again and peeked up to see a similar wall built by Aro which presumably sheltered himself and Sulpicia. Between their two walls, Caius and Dora wrestling in the snow out in the open. Aro took advantage and threw several snowballs at them and saw Marcus do the same out of the corner of her eye, apparently all of them only hitting Caius directly on the target. She had to admit, she was impressed with their aim at a moving target that was so far away.

Finally it looked like Caius had her pinned.

"I shall never forgive you for this," Anna heard Dora vow. The usually stern, sullen Caius laughed in response and pressed a kiss to her neck.

"You, forgive me? Woman, you lost us our advantage because of this fucking dress!"

She heard Aro call from behind his wall, "We would like to arrange an alliance," and Marcus huffed. Dora and Caius both looked over to his fortress and disappeared. Anna assumed they had run behind the wall to convene.

"Cowards. They know they cannot win against me on their own so they shall outnumber us," Marcus glared over the wall.

"What will we do?"

"You will sit here like a good girl and I will-"

Before he could finish the sentence, they were suddenly bombarded by snow from all sides. Anna screamed, laughing, as she was pelted by multiple snowballs. Her laughing turned to hysterical screams when she felt someone tackle her and stuff a handful of snow down the back of her coat.

"No fair!" she cried, trying to wiggle away.

"It is payment for my skirt," she heard Dora say, perched on her back. She swiftly got off and brushed herself off.

Marcus rolled her over, crouching above her, and she could see the smirk on his snow covered face. "I do believe we have been bested, beloved. Let us get you inside and get some dry clothes."

Anna nodded enthusiastically, still shivering from Dora's assault.

* * *

Christmas was fast approaching and Anna actually felt herself in the holiday spirit for the first time in too many years to recall. She was also quite enjoying the mistletoe Sulpicia had strung in the library, as it resulted in many kisses between her and Marcus, both steamy and sweet. Before she knew it, Christmas Eve was upon them. She didn't know how they were going to celebrate the rest of the holiday, as they hadn't made any mention of doing presents and they couldn't exactly do a big Christmas dinner – at least, she hoped they wouldn't. Cognitively knowing what Marcus ate and seeing it seemed like two very different things.

They were seated in the library with Anna sitting across his lap, as had become their custom, when Sulpicia practically skipped into the library and said she had some more surprises and had planned Christmas Eve festivities in her rooms that evening. Anna looked at Marcus and shrugged, agreeing that they would come. Anna idly wondered what she had done this time and turned to her mate.

"What on earth could she have planned?"

He heaved a sigh. "You never know with her. Shall we go to your room to get ready?"

She agreed and they set off at a normal human pace. Anna had become well accustomed to his habit of putting her hand on his arm as they walked and had begun to love it. She was still cursing herself for insisting on her own room, even if she knew her reasoning at the time had been reasonable. At least he did not allow it to separate them. Whether she slept in his bed or hers, they were always together. They had become practically inseparable and she adored it. She adored him.

When they reached Sulpicia and Aro's room an hour later, Anna found that Sulpicia had an assortment of foods laid out – way more than she alone could eat, and Dora and Aro were waiting there on the couch, a large gilded goblet in each of their hands. Caius was absent and she couldn't help but guiltily feel relieved once more that he was not there.

"Anna! Merry Christmas Eve!" Sulpicia called as they walked in and she hugged them both. Anna was quite confused by the gesture as none of them had embraced her before aside from Marcus. She hugged her back warmly anyhow.

"I have arranged for traditional foods from many different places!" she said, and walked Anna over toward the heavily laden table with a festive red tablecloth and multiple arrangements of greenery and poinsettias. "We have mince pie, roasted duck, kottbullar, butter tarts, pastiera, fruit cake, buche de noel, and gingerbread! And for drinks there's apple cider, eggnog, and Prosecco!"

"Surely this isn't all meant for me?" Anna asked, wide eyed.

"But of course it is! I'm sure you have noticed by now we do not eat the same food as you," Sulpicia said, smiling.

Anna's eyes travelled over to the dark goblets in Dora and Aro's hands. "But what's in those glasses…?"

Everyone in the room froze and stared at her until suddenly she realized and her eyes went wide as she blanched. "Oh."

"Piccola…" Marcus said, looking at her with concern and taking her hands in his. She blinked at him stupidly.

"I mean, it only seems fair… I'm constantly eating in front of you. And I know you have to eat too, or drink I guess, and that's okay, it's just a shock. I mean, I've seen a lot of blood, it's not like I'm squeamish or anything…" She said with a nervous laugh. She knew she was babbling but she couldn't seem to shut her mouth off.

"Anna," Marcus said again, more firmly this time. Her mouth closed shut sharply and she finally met his eyes. "If you find it distressing, they will not drink in front of you. They do not mind, they just did not consider whether it might upset you."

"No, no, really, it's fine. I just wasn't thinking. Honestly. It's fine," she said, trying to reassure him.

He looked at her for another moment before nodding and releasing one of her hands, although maintaining his grip on the other. Sulpicia automatically kicked back into gear and grabbed a plate – beautifully gilded like the goblets, she noticed – and started questioning what Anna wanted.

After the plate had been filled (much too full in Anna's opinion, but Sulpicia wouldn't take no for an answer until it had been said at least three times) Anna sat down with her own glass of rum spiked eggnog and watched Dora and Aro sip at their own goblets. She was suddenly very glad that they were made of dark metal, as she really did not want to see what was inside them.

Sulpicia put on some light background Christmas music and settled on the couch next to Aro happily.

"So is Christmas morning usually when gifts are opened?" Dora asked after a time.

"Gifts? We're doing gifts? I didn't know that," she said, and panicked. Oh god, she hadn't done anything. "Um, I think it depends… in my family we always opened them on Christmas morning but I know some did it on Christmas Eve and some did it on Boxing Day."

"We will do it tomorrow morning then! I'm so excited! When are we allowed to wake you?" Sulpicia asked excitedly.

Anna laughed nervously at the thought that Sulpicia sounded exactly like herself as a child, but was still panicked over her oversight. "Would 8 work?"

Sulpicia pouted, clearly wanting to do it sooner, but nodded. "I will see you at 8!"

After a few more hours of socializing and refusing more food, Anna and Marcus bid them goodnight before returning to Anna's room. She was yawning loudly as she got herself ready for bed before climbing in it with Marcus.

"I'm really concerned… I didn't realize we were doing gifts and now I'm worried I'll seem rude."

He purred for her, reaching to stroke her hair in the way he knew she liked best. "Do not concern yourself with that. No one is expecting anything."

"But I feel so ungrateful…"

"You are needlessly concerned. You are my mate and as such I put your name on the gifts from myself. Sleep now, tesoro. I doubt Sulpicia is going to be able to restrain herself until 8. You need rest."

He was likely right. She saw how disappointed Sulpicia had been at the idea of having to wait so long for presents and knew she was a force of nature.

"Goodnight. Merry Christmas," she said softly, before sleep overtook her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Perseus: A Greek hero who was fathered by Zeus. He's famous for beheading Medusa and saving his wife, Andromeda from a sea monster.
> 
> Theseus: An Athenian hero who was famous for defeating the Minotaur (a monstrous half man/half cow creature that used to eat Athenian children). He also got into a lot of fights with robbers.
> 
> Ariadne: The half-sister (technically?) of the Minotaur. She helped Theseus defeat him in return for his agreeing to marry her. Except once the Minotaur was defeated he left her on an abandoned island.
> 
> Dionysus: The god of wine, ritual madness, and fertility. He found Ariadne on the island and married her. By all accounts, it looked like a reasonably happy marriage so she probably lucked out here. Theseus was an idiot and went on to try and kidnap Persephone to marry her (bad idea, seeing as she's already married to Hades) and spent a while being punished in the Underworld before Heracles saved him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter turns into a crackfic again at points… I'm sorry. It just happened. And another reminder that if you're not a legal adult, you still shouldn't be reading this. I don't want to be responsible for your corruption so please go find some nice G rated fic instead.

 

The next morning Anna was awoken to loud, excited whispers. She cracked one eye open to find Sulpicia at the foot of the bed, her hands on her hips, giving Marcus a fierce glare. When she saw Anna was awake her face immediately transformed into a cheery smile.

"Anna! Merry Christmas! Are you ready to get up? We're all ready to open gifts! I got us matching pajamas! And breakfast is waiting in my rooms! Get ready quickly!" she exclaimed in an excited rush before practically prancing out of the room. Anna turned over to look at Marcus questioningly but he just sighed and shook his head.

"She got us _all_ matching pajamas. There is no use fighting it. Caius already tried."

"She is certainly a force of nature…"

"Well, you would need to be, to be Aro's mate."

Anna obligingly hauled herself out of the warm bed, cursing Sulpicia the whole way, and changed into the clothes she had left for her. They were certainly cozy - a very nice high quality flannel which was contrasted by the penguins in bowties that decorated them. She shook her head at it as she looked at herself in the mirror and washed her face.

When she finished, she emerged to find Marcus wearing the same bottoms, although on the top he just wore a form-fitting black t-shirt. She almost salivated at the sight… she had never seen him this informal before. Even when he got in bed with her, he still wore dress pants and his buttoned shirt, he just loosened it from his pants and removed the waistcoat and jacket and tie.

But this shirt… she shivered. It showed off how broad his shoulders were, how defined his chest was… and the way the pants hung off his hips… good lord… she could feel herself blushing but it didn't stop her from ogling still.

He smirked at the look on her face before offering his arm to her and leading her toward Sulpicia and Aro's rooms.

Inside, as promised, Aro, Sulpicia, Dora, and Caius were all wearing matching flannel pajamas with penguins on them – looking varying degrees of thrilled and surly.

"Merry Christmas!" Aro and Dora said cheerily. Dora was sitting cross legged on the couch next to her mate and practically vibrating with excitement. Anna saw the tree was absolutely piled with presents under it and felt dread pool in her stomach.

"That's a lot of presents," she said worriedly.

"It is customary to exchange them, no?" Aro asked.

"Well yes, usually not that many, though…"

"I may have gotten a little carried away," Sulpicia said from where she was sitting at the computer and choosing appropriately festive music, looking a modicum doubtful before she recovered again. "Ah, well! These aren't going to open themselves! Come and sit down so we can start!"

Anna and Marcus sat on the couch across from where Dora and Caius were sitting and Sulpicia started distributing the immaculately wrapped parcels. Once they all had a sizeable stack in front of them Sulpicia told them to start opening, practically squeaking the words in her excitement.

Anna looked at her own pile suspiciously before reaching for one on top. It was only slightly larger than her hand and appeared to be from Sulpicia. The wrapping paper had the prettiest sparkle to it and Anna was almost loath to rip it, but she was terribly curious of what the woman had gotten her.

Inside a beautiful Tiffany's box was the most beautiful platinum locket engraved with all of their names around the heart in tiny perfect cursive writing, which she suspected was Sulpicia's own hand. She forced herself to hold back the tears she felt welling up. It was so lovely and so incredibly thoughtful.

She looked up at Sulpicia who was smiling back at her so warmly, almost looking as if she were going to cry as well. "Thank you," she said, her voice soft with emotion and hardly louder than a whisper.

"You are welcome, sister," she said and smiled warmly.

Aro distracted them from their moment when he tore open his gift. "Ah," he said with a slightly lascivious smile. "So this is why you haven't let me touch you the past two days!"

Sulpicia smiled back, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Do you like it, my darling?"

"Like it?!" Aro exclaimed, before leaning in to whisper something in her ear which made her giggle wildly like a schoolgirl and lean in to kiss him. Anna couldn't see what it was and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to. She was distracted from that when she saw Dora opening what appeared to be a large collection of nail polish.

"Humans are so inventive!" Sulpicia said when she saw what was being opened. "This apparently changes colour depending on the body temperature! I thought we could try it on our sister!"

"How delightful!" Dora said, looking at them more carefully. "There are so many interesting things we could do with that…"

They tore through the rest of their gifts quickly. Anna had acquired a new laptop, an iPad, an iPhone, priceless jewelry – some of which she thought looked suspiciously like the missing French crown jewels - and a pair of Louboutins.

Once everyone was finished unwrapping and she was admiring everything she had received, Marcus looked to her with an expression that was both apprehensive and excited.

"There is one more gift, piccola, although I'm afraid it is not here," Marcus said.

Anna looked at him curiously and said, "Alright…?"

He pulled an envelope she hadn't noticed from the table beside him and handed it to her. It was heavy and large and seemed very important. Her name was written on it in his elegant cursive and she paused to admire it. She was definitely keeping this envelope. The thought of him merely writing her name sent a jolt of pleasure through her.

She carefully opened it, not wanting to ruin the packaging, and pulled out a stack of papers held together by a paperclip. The first was a map. She couldn't tell where it was, although there was a large portion of it in the middle which had been outlined in a black marker. The cities labeled around it looked to be Russian, but it all seemed very remote. Most of it looked to be wilderness and forest.

The next was a satellite image of what appeared to be the same lot of land, although on it she could see a cute cottage perched in the middle of it from a birds eye view – just a small box in the midst of the vast forest.

After that there was some drawings – they looked like his drawings – of that same cottage. There was one of the outside's stone facade, the sides of it, the inside layout, a magnificent fireplace… all appeared to be pulled from his very mind and put to paper by his own hand. But this was just getting more confusing. What was all of this? Why had he given her this strange stack of papers?

After that there was a photo of that exact same cottage from the satellite image and his drawings, but it was up close, showing it in all its cheerful glory. Then there were pictures of the inside - a magnificent kitchen, that same fireplace as in the drawing, a bedroom with a massive bed dominating it, surrounded by windows that showed the forest all around them…

"What is this?" she asked in awe, looking at him.

"A cottage in the Russian taiga. I had it built for you," he said. His eyes were so hopeful. She almost dropped the pile of beautiful design as if they were hot coals and ran. It was too much. Too big. He designed and built her a cottage for Christmas? _An actual cottage?_ In Russia? For Christmas? How did he manage this? It had only been a few weeks!

His eyes stopped her. Instead of voicing all of that, throwing the beautiful things down and running from his beautiful face full of hope and expectation, she allowed herself to tear up. She looked at him and whispered, "I love it. It's so beautiful. This is the most amazing thing…"

She trailed off her sentence and flung herself at him, hugging him with all her strength. "Thank you," she whispered against his neck. She could practically feel his joy at her reaction.

The rest of Christmas was a joy-filled blur. Anna spent an entire hour trying to walk in the high heeled, jewel-encrusted Louboutins before giving up. Marcus had watched her from where he sprawled on the bed, clearly amused by the spectacle and rushing to catch her anytime he saw her teetering precariously. The last time it happened he laughed, pressed a kiss to her forehead and advised her that perhaps the shoes could wait until she changed and had better balance.

She blinked at him in shock, having not really considered that possibility since she had asked him about how vampires were made. In his mind, apparently, it seemed like such an obvious conclusion. Hers was much more ambivalent. She truly did want to spend an eternity with Marcus but the idea of becoming a different species that relied on killing others to survive did not sit so well on her.

She said nothing, not wanting to ruin the perfect day, and instead reached up to kiss his jaw, which was not nearly as far as it usually was now that she had an extra couple inches from the shoes. Perhaps these things did have a use after all.

Marcus saw the conflict in her features and changed the subject as well, lifting her up and carrying her to a seat by the fire. "When would you like to go to Russia, beloved?"

"Anytime!" she said enthusiastically. "When can we leave?"

He laughed at her eagerness, "Anytime. We could leave tomorrow if you wish."

Her eyes went wide with excitement, "Really? So soon? Don't you have business things to take care of? You can't really just drop everything and leave, can you?"

"I'm sure Aro and Caius can make do without me for a few weeks, and I would be quite interested in some time when I may have you all to myself," he purred as he nuzzled her neck.

She gasped as she felt in pressing open mouthed kisses there, feeling her body responding to him.

Unexpectedly, there was a knock at the door and he growled. "What do you want, Sulpicia?"

The dark-haired sister peeked her head in the door, smirking at what she saw. "If you're leaving tomorrow, I have the clothes you requested for Anna. I made sure to get them all suited for the cold weather and I will have them packed. Shall I have Aro arrange for the jet?"

His eyes were still narrowed at her intrusion but he nodded, "Yes, that would be acceptable. Thank you."

When she closed the door he growled again, standing up and tossing her on the bed. "Tomorrow it will be just you and I with no one else for miles… and no interruptions," he grinned predatorily and Anna felt herself shiver in response.

* * *

She hadn't really considered what Sulpicia meant by "arranging for the jet" until she realized they really had their own private jumbo jet. They completely bypassed the check in, customs, and security and drove straight onto the tarmac in the sleek black Land Rover. A canopy had been erected in front of a giant white nondescript plane so the vampires would not be seen in the sun. The canopy stood over an opulent rug that led to the stairs leading into the cabin.

Marcus got out of the vehicle first, offering his hand to her. She took it and stepped out of the car, looking up at the size of the aircraft. She didn't see how they would need that much room. It was only them and the small contingent of the guard they were bringing, who Marcus assured her would be stationed around the cottage at a respectful distance so they could watch the perimeter and return to them if needed, but not close enough to intrude on their privacy.

He seemed very eager to be alone with her which she was confused about because he seemed to be incredibly close with his brothers and sisters. She couldn't understand why he would be eager to be separated from them. She asked about it once they were settled onto a comfortable white leather couch on the plane. The interior was lined with dark wood and there were groupings of chairs interspersed throughout the length of it with the closed cockpit on one end and a door that led to a bedroom and bathroom at the other end.

The guard was sitting at the far end of the plane to give them the illusion of privacy however they still put her on edge, she couldn't deny it. She was grateful when Marcus sat himself between them and her. There were ten of them in total, all pale skinned, bright red eyed, and wearing black dresses or suits with robes over top in varying shades of grey. None of them were anything less than courteous to her, yet she was uncomfortable all the same.

"It is instinct, piccola. When a vampire finds their mate, they usually live in seclusion or with their coven until the bond is stable. If they are human, this is also the time when they would be changed."

She froze and looked shocked by this.

"Do not worry, I will keep my teeth to myself," he smiled at her reassuringly and began purring suggestively. "Do you not want time alone with me as well? Can you see no benefit?"

She blushed but said nothing else, mindful that the other vampires could hear her as clearly as if they were right beside them.

Two more members of the guard boarded and nodded to Marcus. "We are ready to depart, my Lord."

"Excellent. You have done well."

They looked quite pleased with his praise and entered the cockpit, closing the door behind them. Marcus pulled her into his lap, purring for her soothingly and stroking her hair. "Sleep, beloved. The flight will be many hours and I have plans for you when we arrive."

She thought it would be very hard to sleep with the jostling of flight and the unfamiliar vampires so near, but between Marcus' petting, the hum of the engines, and his purr, she was asleep in minutes.

She awoke groggily when she jostled slightly. It was dark and she could feel the cold, crisp air on her face and she realized Marcus was carrying her off the plane, "Shhh, go back to sleep. I will bring you to our cottage," he soothed and she obeyed, drifting back into slumber.

When she awoke next she was in an enormous bed surrounded by windows. It was daylight outside. The light looked like midmorning, although it was reflected by the snow that covered everything around them and appeared brighter. Everything outside was a lush green and crisp white and it was beautiful.

The bed she was in was a giant dark wood four-poster set up and seemed to stretch for miles in both directions beside her as it was conspicuously empty of her usual bed partner. The sheets and duvet were a beautiful green colour, making her feel as if the room as an extension of the beautiful wild out the window. There was an enormous dresser on the wall across from her in the same colour wood as the bed, next to a door.

She was startled when Marcus knocked on that door before letting himself in, carrying a tray of what looked like breakfast. She smiled at him, delighted. "Oh Marcus, it's even more beautiful than I imagined. Thank you so much."

"You have only seen the bedroom, piccola. Do you not want to see the rest before you make your judgement?"

"I already know I'll love the rest of it too," she replied shyly. And she did. She knew he would not have made her anything less than perfection.

He set the tray over her lap and she happily started picking at the fruit salad before taking a bite of the frittata. The thought occurred to her that he likely hadn't brought the cook with him and asked him where the food was coming from.

"I ensured I knew how to feed my mate before we left, I assure you," he said, looking slightly insulted that she had to ask.

She gaped at him and looked down at the frittata. "You made this?"

"Yes, is it not good? I shall make another or something else if you do not like it."

"No! I love it! Thank you so much!"

Her eyes watered but she refused to let them ruin the moment by weeping. When she finished, he took the tray and left, informing her as he went that the bathroom was through the other door and her clothes were in the dresser.

She poked her head into the bathroom to find another opulent set up, similar to what he had in his rooms. A giant soaker tub sat in an alcove with a large shower next to it and a window across from it. The toilet was in another alcove, strategically out of sight from the window. She took care of her human needs swiftly and washed her face before investigating the clothes in the dresser. She found some black fleece lined leggings and a plain plum coloured tunic and put a long, knitted grey cardigan over it before venturing out the door she assumed led to the main room of the cottage.

Marcus was sitting on the large couch across from the fireplace, which was roaring and crackling cheerily. She sat next to him and snuggled into his side. "Thank you so much for all of this," she whispered again.

His arm wrapped around her, pulling her tighter to him. "I will give you 100 cottages if it makes you this happy."

She twisted to look up at him. "You're too good to me."

"Nothing is too good for you, my darling," he said, his other hand coming to cup her face. He leaned in to kiss her and, with a thrill, she remembered his promise of "plans." Her arm came over to embrace him across his chest and she leaned into him.

They're lips moved together gently and sweetly. She ran her hands over his hard-muscled abdomen and to his shoulders, clutching them. When they broke away, he whispered endearments in her ear in what sounded like Ancient Greek. Although she didn't understand what he was saying, the reverently whispered words still warmed her.

" _My heart flutters in my breast whenever  
I quickly glance at you –  
I can say nothing, my tongue is broken. A delicate fire  
runs under my skin, my eyes  
see nothing, my ears roar,  
cold sweat  
rushes down me, trembling seizes me,  
I am greener than grass.  
To myself I seem  
needing but little to die.  
Yet all must be endured, since  
I love you  
_ _with all my wild heart."*_

Their lips pressed together once again. The kiss grew more heated as his lips captured hers insistently. She felt his tongue slide against her lower lip and shivered in response. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck, using the leverage to press her lips more firmly against his, opening her mouth to him and sliding her tongue against his.

He pulled back, "Please be mindful that my teeth are very sharp and venomous, dearest."

She panted and her eyes went wide. In her arousal she had forgotten about that. "Sorry," she giggled nervously, before leaning up again to kiss him some more, carefully this time.

She felt his hands reach down to grab her ass and used it to hoist her against him. She straddled his lap and felt his erection already hard and jutting out, straining against her, and she whimpered. He groaned in response, squeezing her bottom tighter and rocking her gently over his hardening sex.

Swiftly, he flipped her over so she was flat on her back on the couch with him hovering over her. She arched her back, aching for contact again and he happily obliged, being sure not to crush his delicate mate. He ground his erection into her centre, imitating the pleasures of their last encounter while kissing down her neck, however he grew frustrated with the high neckline of the thick shirts she was wearing.

She giggled and pushed on his chest so he would back up and give her room to remove the offending garment, tossing her sweater on the floor. He inched his hands under her shirt and looked to her for permission to remove it as well. She bit her lip, looking undecided… he had seen her naked before, surely. She knew she had passed out the night she was drunk and he must have gotten her in her pyjamas then... and he was Marcus. She could trust him. She did not need to be self-conscious. She was safe with him.

She nodded slowly and he purred for her to soothe her nerves, inching his hands under it and feeling the softness of her belly. She had been putting on weight with the consistent feeding and he loved the womanly fleshiness of her. He continued the journey upward, pulling the garment with him, skimming over her breasts before finally pulling the shirt fully off her, leaving her only in a black lacy bra.

She felt the rush of self-consciousness overwhelm her then and reached out to kiss him, pressing her chest against his to feel less exposed. It seemed only fair he should be less dressed as well, did it not?

He was still wearing a matching unbuttoned suit jacket and trousers in a charcoal grey with a plain black button-down shirt worn under. She supposed because they were on vacation, this is what constituted as casual clothing for him, considering the lack of the waistcoat, tie, and robes and the fact that he was, for once, not all in black. It was a welcome change.

She urged his jacket off and felt him smile against her lips before obliging and shrugging it off. Her hands began fumbling with the buttons of the shirt and he allowed it, even though she knew it likely took 200x longer than if he did it. Not only because of the speed, but in her nervousness, her hands were even clumsier than usual. Finally, though, the shirt was fully unbuttoned. He removed it as well and she was left to gape at the perfection of his body.

He was sculpted. Broad, muscled shoulders led to large, bulging arms which framed his defined pectoral muscles. Beneath them was a set of washboard abs that any bodybuilder in any gym would've cried over. She whimpered and he felt a surge of arousal and masculine satisfaction at the knowledge that his mate found his body pleasing.

With her distracted, he reached around to unclasp her bra and urged her to remove her arms from the straps. She clutched at the garment for a moment before relinquishing it and allowing him to see her breasts bared. He hadn't allowed himself to look before when he had dressed her when she was inebriated, or when she had first come to them and she was unconscious and constantly being bared for the doctor's examinations. He had wanted to respect his mate's privacy… but now he stared hungrily.

He had been right. When she was still unconscious in his bed, he saw the promise in her body of ripe, round breasts and hers were _perfect._ They were an overflowing handful, soft and malleable, with light pink nipples sitting atop them. He purred in pleasure before leaning in to take one perfect nipple into his mouth, gently flicking the hard tip with his tongue. She shivered and clutched his shoulders.

"Ohhhh,"she moaned. He did it again and felt the delicate shiver turn to a shudder. His other hand came up to gently roll the other nipple between his fingers.

He could smell how aroused she was and wanted nothing more than to taste that even sweeter part of her. Continuing to roll and and pluck her nipples, he leaned up to kiss her again. He did not think he had ever felt this much pleasure and she was not even _touching_ him. His purr deepened.

His hands began inching her leggings down before she caught his wrists, wide eyed and smelling nervous now. She had panicked when she realized what he was doing. She was not ready for _that._ She did not think she could handle being so exposed, even for him… thankfully, he released the clothing and purred to reassure her.

"I will do nothing you do not desire," he said as he kissed her again and hitched her legs over his hips so he could grind himself against her, wanting to arouse her more so she could not think of anything, let alone her feelings of self-consciousness or fear. When she was once more writhing and panting beneath him, he knelt beside her and began to inch his hand into the waistband of her leggings and delved into her underwear. She did not stop him this time and he brought the other hand to her nipples, alternating between teasing each of them. His hand found the soft patch of hair and nearly groaned at how saturated with her arousal it was.

He felt the swollen, hot tissue and the hardened nub of her clitoris, which caused her to shudder when he grazed it with a finger and he smirked at her reaction. She was so beautiful right now. Her skin was flushed and her beautiful green eyes were so glazed over with pleasure they were hardly able to stay open. With every heaving breath, her breasts jiggled provocatively and he feasted on the sight. He looked down to where his hand had disappeared into her pants and felt a surge of arousal that his mate trusted him in this, wanted it from him...

He gently and deliberately passed a finger over that bundle of nerves and her eyes fluttered shut as a cry escaped her lips. She tilted her hips up, seeking more of the delightful sensation.

"Is this what you want, beloved?" he asked, his voice deepening until it was hardly more than a growl. He began to rub her in tight circles, alternating between using more and less pressure to see which she liked best until he found the perfect amount of friction.

She was crying out with abandon now, her head thrown back and her succulent lips hanging open as the pleasure overwhelmed her senses. He saw the tension building in her as her release quickly grew closer and he used his free hand to grab her chin and force turn her face toward him.

"Look at me," he commanded. Her eyes fluttered open but he could see she was having difficulty focusing as she was becoming overwhelmed by the movement of his hand. She was gasping now, one hand clutching the couch and the other fisted in the material of his pants.

"Do not come yet," he told her, and saw her brows draw down and she whimpered. How could she not? It was so close she could already feel her inner walls trembling. Everything in her had tightened until she felt as if she would spring apart at the slightest provocation.

He purred for her, still rubbing her nub in tight, agonizingly pleasurable circles.

When he could see she could bear no more he commanded, "Good girl. Come for me now, beloved."

He saw she immediately obeyed. Her eyes closed and the hand clutching at his pants trembled. Her tight sheathe below was clenching so hard he could feel it pulling from her clitoris, as if it was seeking out his cock to fill it, to have something to grip as she came apart.

It went on for over a minute while he kept rubbing at her, drawing her orgasm out, only slowing when he saw the pleasure begin to turn to overstimulation.

When he stopped, she sagged into the couch with tremors still rocking through her every few seconds from the aftereffects of the powerful release. Her eyes were closed and her face was completely tranquil with the bliss he had given her.

He purred and gathered her into his arms, immensely pleased with her. She sighed softly and burrowed closer, needing the comfort he offered after the intense experience. He knew his appetites were domineering and demanding and he was relieved his mate apparently responded well to them.

His cock twitched in his pants and he sighed. His sweet mate had passed out immediately following her orgasm so he knew would get no help from her to that end. He pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over her nakedness so she would not get a chill. A demanding mate indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *We do not have a complete copy of Sappho 31. It ends at the line "Yet all must be endured, since" so I frankensteined it together with some of the sentiments and the line of her "wild heart" from Sappho 1, a hymn to Aphrodite.


	16. Chapter 16

Anna knew she was dreaming. The world had a strangely hazy quality to it and she felt as if she was witnessing what was happening from a TV screen – separate from it, as if it had happened to someone else and not to her.

"Come with me," Joseph had said. He had held out a hand and hauled her off the floor where she had been huddling. He looked at his watch and his brow creased. "You can't stay here."

Anna hadn't said anything. She had mindlessly followed as if she were a robot on autopilot. He had led her through the hospital, looking down at his watch every few seconds. There were hundreds of people milling about in the hallway, screaming, wailing, some saw Anna's scrubs and tried grabbing at her, crying out for help.

She didn't respond, just allowed herself to be towed through the carnage by Joseph, who shoved people out of the way and kept a bone breaking grip on her wrist. There was a group of armoured vehicles outside the hospital and armed men in masks were unloading packages out of the back of one.

He opened the back door to one of the trucks. "Get in," he ordered. She got in. He slammed the door and locked it and then walked away, talking to some of the men in a language she didn't know. He was gesturing dramatically and seemed to be telling them to hurry up. When he was satisfied they were going fast enough, he got in the back seat beside her and removed his mask before dousing his hands in Purell.

"We'll get you disinfected soon," he said and looked at her scrubs with disgust. "And some clean clothes."

She didn't respond. She sat there, feeling as if everything were surreal, as if she was trapped in some fun house mirror where everything was distorted and nothing made sense.

After some minutes – Anna had lost the ability or interest to track the passing of time in her stupor – the vehicle started and they pulled out of the parking lot. She looked out at the window at the hospital where she had spent the last few months.

There was a thunderous roar and it was in flames. Another explosion. More flames. She heard screaming, another explosion, a cracking sound as a wall collapsed, another explosion, a foul-smelling rag held over her face, and then silence.

She had woken up in Joseph's bedroom in Rome. She remembered that distinctly. It felt as if she had woken up from a terrible nightmare. She remembered the feeling of relief, that perhaps she really had dreamt it all, and now she was safe and warm and alive… and then he had walked through the door.

He smiled at her, though it was not with happiness. He smiled at her as if she was a possession that had pleased him, as if he was anticipating her use to him.

She had felt confused then. What was he doing here? And then the memories came rushing back to her – the virus' mutation, the deaths, the explosion…

She scrambled out of the bed, her limbs clumsy and uncoordinated after how long she had been unconscious. And he had _roofied_ her! She kept her eyes to him, not wanting to let the dangerous man out of her sight, and backed away until her back hit a wall. She whimpered. She was trapped.

"Now don't be that way. I saved your life. You should _thank_ me."

"P-please," she pleaded. "I just want to go home."

His smile faltered. "That's not very grateful, and after all I went through to retrieve you. Let's try this again. Say, 'Thank you for saving me, Joseph.'"

She shook her head at him as horror dawned on her face. "You killed all those people in that hospital…"

"I saved thousands more by eliminating a dangerous virus."

"Y-you _bombed_ a Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital…"

He stalked towards her, scowling darkly now. He grabbed her by the hair, pulling it hard until she cried out.

"I _saved_ you, you ungrateful bitch. Say it."

She began to cry between the pain and the horror and shock. He slapped her across the face, making her weep harder.

"Say it."

"Y-you saved me," she gasped between heaving sobs.

"And?" He sneered.

"I'm an ungrateful bitch."

He pushed her and she fell to the floor, her knee and shoulder crying out from the impact. "Good. Now stop fucking whining and get the fuck up. I can't stand women crying."

It was almost ironic in hindsight, how he had said he hated women crying, and yet he did everything he could over the next year to produce that reaction in her. And then Marcus, her angel, has rescued her… he had nursed her back to health, had been so patient with her, loved her even when she had run from him… she wanted to get back to him, wanted to leave this terrible dream behind her, where it belonged. She opened her eyes.

* * *

Marcus was in the kitchen cutting a squash to put in the risotto he was planning for her lunch when he heard Anna's heartbeat picking up faster than her normal pace, but he assumed it meant she was waking up. He put the gourd down and carefully climbed back in behind her on the couch so she could wake in his arms, as he knew it gave her comfort. He could feel his erection hardening again from the contact but studiously ignored it. She needed to eat and his sexual needs could wait until her human needs were satiated.

He purred in response to the sleepy yawns and stretching she did as she woke, which pressed her more firmly against him. She froze when she realized she was still not wearing a shirt and he swiftly retrieved the garment from where it had been deposited, now wedged in the couch cushion. He purposely didn't return the bra, delighting in the knowledge that he would be able to watch her breasts move and see her little nipples harden as she moved. From her huff, he could tell she had caught onto his motive.

"I am making your lunch now if you wish to lie here a few minutes longer," he told her, nuzzling the back of her neck and kissing the little nob at the top of her spine. He delighted in spoiling her and bringing her every joy he could. "I can bring it to you and wake you again when it is prepared."

She didn't respond and seemed to be deep in thought. "Anna?"

She startled and he moved to allow her room to flip over and face him.

"Are you alright, tesoro? Did you have a bad dream? Do you wish to tell me about it?"

She frowned. "No, I'm okay." She shook her head as she did when she was trying to forget something and then focussed on him. She smiled softly and ran her hand down his chest. "I'm okay," she repeated, more convincingly this time. "I'll come help you," she said sweetly. "What are you making?"

"Butternut squash risotto with a kale salad."

She groaned and dramatically pouted, "Can't I just eat the risotto?"

"You will eat your vegetables or I will be forced to spank you, my darling," he purred. His hands travelled down her hip to grasp her bottom, emphasizing his playful threat. "Or perhaps I shall be forced to feed them to you with my own hand."

She flushed. She hadn't realized what an intense dominant streak he had… or how much she would like it. She should have guessed, though. He had frequently delivered orders to her in regards to her food and recovery in the time she had known him. She had hardly noticed at the time, as she had enjoyed his fierce protectionism regarding her and her well-being and seemed to respond to his orders as if on instinct.

He purred at the dazed look on her face and the light scent of her arousal in the air. She felt his erection pressing into his belly and was reminded of the wonderful release he had just given her. She unconsciously pressed herself closer, feeling the weight of it against her. Only a few inches lower and he could be against that hot, wet place where she liked him best. His purr hitched and she felt his hands tense and relax against her, as if resisting a temptation.

She lowered her eyes and toyed with the front of his shirt, which he must have redressed in once she was asleep. "You take care of me so well… don't you want me to take care of you?"

She knew there was no mistaking the words for his feeding of her and caring for her daily needs, considering the blatant hardness caught between them and her bashfulness. As if without his control, his eyes flicked to her mouth and then immediately back to her eyes. She realized suddenly what he wanted and her mouth opened with a little "oh." She felt her anxiety rise slightly. She was familiar with that experience, having it forced on her frequently in her past… she wanted to please her mate and knew she could trust him but she didn't know if her fear would allow that particular act. He caught on, understanding immediately and ending conversation efficiently.

"Not now, beloved. Come, I do not want you to become hungry," he eased her up, ensuring he caressed her back to ease any residual anxiety or sting of rejection and led her to the kitchen. With the open floor plan of the cottage, it was all one room aside from the bedroom and bathroom, although it was skillfully divided by the differing flooring, furniture arrangements, and rugs. To the right of the living area there were large double doors that led outside and an entryway with cute little cubbies to the side of it to hang her jacket, hats, scarves, and gloves, and with a bench to put her boots on.

On the adjacent wall, the stone fireplace dominated with a large flat screen TV above it and an L-shape sofa and a large rug that sectioned off that corner as the living area. The kitchen was situated in another corner and separated from the rest of the room by a large island and it had tile floors rather than the lovely dark wood the rest of the cottage had.

Upon closer inspection, Anna saw marble countertops and stainless steel appliances. He had installed a beautiful chef's kitchen in this little cottage in the woods - all for her, for she knew a vampire would have no use for it. The thought warmed her. Finally, in the corner next to it, sat a cute little dining table with two chairs and a buffet behind it that currently housed a lovely arrangement of white roses. It was perfect. He was a genius and he had built this beautiful place for her.

She knew it was his work too, rather than Sulpicia's. It was more minimalistic and built for her comfort, rather than with the design in mind. It only made her love it more.

Marcus shocked her out of her musing when he picked her up by the waist and sat her on the counter before returning to his work, skillfully wielding a large knife as he continued chopping the squash.

"I thought I was going to _help,_ " she playfully pouted and reached out one foot to nudge him with her toe. All she succeeded in doing was bending her foot painfully against his leg.

"You are helping by not putting yourself in contact with sharp objects."

She sighed but was quickly transfixed by the movement of his hands with the food. He was so efficient and quick and he moved that giant blade with deadly purpose. She hadn't taken time to really consider and observe his hands before, as she was always distracted by his alluring face or body. She noted that they were as beautifully crafted as the rest of him. He had long, elegant, and yet sturdy fingers and they sent a shiver through her as she remembered how they manipulated her body so skillfully and wonderfully before.

"If you do not stop smelling so delicious, I will not be held responsible for what I do," he warned without looking up from the garlic he was mincing.

She gasped, flustered at the reminder that he could smell her arousal. There was no sense of privacy with him, although if she was honest with herself, it didn't bother her that much. The sound of her embarrassed and giddy giggle filled the kitchen and she hopped off the counter to press herself behind him, embracing him.

"Thank you again, Marcus," her voice was muffled by her face pressing between his shoulder blades.

He purred. "It is my pleasure."

* * *

It was their second day at the cottage when Marcus presented her with what looked like two tennis rackets with straps on them. When he saw her furrowed brow, he explained they were snowshoes to help her walk over the deep snow – that is, he added, if she wished to explore their forest. She loved how much he called it "their" forest that she agreed… until five minutes into their little trek when she started cursing the things.

She was already graceless enough. She didn't need to have to waddle through knee deep snow in flippers to prove that. She could see Marcus' amusement, though he hid it well. She huffed at him, "You did this on purpose."

"I don't know what you mean, my darling."

The forest _was_ beautiful, he had been correct in that, and she would've enjoyed it if she could've actually walked through it. The trees were thick and wild and the air smelled fresh and pure. Every so often she heard or saw a little forest creature going about their business, hardly disturbed by the human stomping about in their home or the predator stalking along with her. It was so tranquil for someone who had spent most of their life in giant metropolitan cities with little in the way of green anything.

She looked up and saw a little brown and white owl, hardly bigger than her fist with curious grey eyes, watching her as if in amusement. It looked slightly out of place in this vast, overgrown forest. As soon as it saw her observing it, it took flight and disappeared from sight.

Marcus didn't seem to have noticed and turned back to see her beginning the ordeal of trudging through the snow again. She didn't know _how_ she ever found it beautiful before. Now she was cursing the stuff.

She glowered at his perfect face. She didn't know how he did it. He was still in his suit with no snow shoes, and yet he merely glided through the powder, looking completely unrumpled, whereas she was bundled until she could hardly move her limbs with these monstrosities strapped to her feet.

"I give up. Marcus, can you please carry me the rest of the way?"

He purred, clearly having finally achieved his goal. "Of course, piccola. You only had to ask!"

He picked her up with a flourish, effectively holding her against his body with one arm and removing the ridiculous snow shoes with the other. "There is a mountain north of here I wish for you to see."

Her brow furrowed but she trusted him, "Okay."

It had been about an hour of hiking, with Marcus walking slightly quicker than a normal human walking pace so she could admire the forest around her and wouldn't become sick. Eventually he led her to a rocky outcrop partway up the mountain and deposited her back on the ground, steadying her with his arms.

Her breath caught. They were looking over a beautiful fjord with crystal blue water, surrounded by other snow-capped mountains.

"Oh," she breathed. He purred and came up behind her, moulding himself to her back.

"It's so beautiful," she said reverently.

"One day, when you are as I am, I will bring you back here so you can see it in its full magnificence."

"I don't need that. It's perfect even now, without perfect eyesight."

He purred and turned her so she was facing him, "You are more beautiful to me than any lovely sight."

He pressed his lips to hers and she clung to him, feeling the kiss heat up every part of her, despite the frigid temperatures and equally frigid skin of her mate. When they broke apart she laughed, joy clear on her face.

"Now I understand the whole seclusion thing. I think this is called the honeymoon phase."

"I would not say that is quite accurate. My understanding of humans is that the 'honeymoon phase' is the height of romance and passion. For us, it will only grow from this."

"I do not see how it could be possible for me to want you or love you more than I do already," she said, blushing at her blunt words.

"Then I will have to show you."

* * *

Demetri was holed up in one of the Volturi bunkers with the foul human who had kidnapped and abused his Master's human mate. It didn't seem to have realized yet that he wasn't interested in information or favours, he just wanted its pain and flesh for his experiments.

It was currently blubbering something about what it was doing in Nigeria, some kind of new inflammatory device that could set fire to the very air. Humans were quite inventive, he had to give them that, but it seemed to him that it was very hypocritical for them to call his kind the destructive species. They were the ones melting flesh off bones with one bomb and driving animals to extinction.

He readied the syringe of venom and made a note of the dosage.

"Please, you can have it, I was going to give it to those Romanian brothers but you can have it, just please let me go," it cried.

He paused. Romanian brothers? He was sure there were many Romanian brothers. It was highly unlikely it was the ones he was thinking of, but he had to ask. Feigning disinterest, he inquired "Romanian brothers?"

The scum picked up on his heightened interest immediately, clinging to it, despite Demetri's attempt to cover it. "Yes! Romanian! Vladimir and Stefan! They said they needed something that would incinerate any material in under a second, please…"

Demetri froze. It couldn't be…

He snarled, suddenly lashing out his hand to clutch the human's throat. "What did they want this weapon for? What are they doing? Tell me everything you know."

"Yes! Of course," It wheezed from the pressure on its windpipe. "They didn't tell me much! I was just arranging it with a weapons lab in Africa. I can give you the address I met them at? Please…"

Demetri had no patience for its snivelling. He needed to inform the kings right away. And then suddenly he froze, realizing Marcus and his delicate human mate were separated from the family, hardly protected in the middle of the Russian wild. He needed to inform them right away.

He strode away from the table, leaving the room while the scum screamed behind him to come back, to let him go, crying that he had helped and begging for Demetri to free him. He shook his head at the gall of the stupid creature. Surely it should know by now it wasn't leaving this bunker alive. He looked back and pretended to consider the human for a moment before stuffing a piece of bloody gauze in its mouth to shut it up.

He left the room and picked up his phone, immediately calling Marcus. The king answered on the second ring, not bothering to speak and waiting for Demetri to inform him of the purpose of the call, indicating that it had better be important.

"The human has been collaborating with two Romanian brothers by the name of Vladimir and Stefan. He says they were seeking a weapon that could set fire to anything."

There was still silence on the end of the line before he heard Marcus curse and snarl. "He told you this in those exact words?"

"Yes, my King. He has been very verbose however nothing before now attracted my notice."

"Have you informed my brothers? You must bring the human back to the castle so they may interrogate it themselves."

"I have not, I thought of your vulnerable mate and informed you first."

"Thank you, Demetri. You must now call my brothers immediately. You have done well."

Demetri hung up. Fuck. The last time they had dealt with the Romanians on the offensive they had lost half the guard. This was going to be messy and he was tired of chasing them across the globe every few years. Now was the time to finish it.

* * *

The sky was beginning to darken. It was dinner time she could feel her stomach begin to tighten, threatening to rumble if it wasn't fed. Marcus had her on such a steady meal schedule and she had grown accustomed to it. It meant that any deviation left her grumpy and hungry, as she was now. But Marcus was on the phone and it didn't look like dinner would be forthcoming anytime soon.

She was laying down on the couch, admittedly sulking from his uncharacteristic lack of attention to her, as she began braiding and re-braiding a strand of her hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly saw the little owl from earlier sitting outside on the windowsill. She sat up, staring at it with surprise. It was so cute and small, she didn't know how such a little thing could survive out there in the cold… and she knew what it was like to fight for survival. She empathized with the little thing. It probably had a family to go home to and take care of as well.

Marcus had moved to the kitchen table, typing away furiously at the computer in front of him while talking in rapid Latin to whoever was on the phone. For once, he did not seem to be paying the slightest bit of attention to her. She got up and grabbed a piece of bread from the kitchen, intending to feed the bird.

She stepped out on the little porch and broke off a piece of the bread, offering it to the bird. It poked at it before flying off and landing in the tree line. She frowned and looked at her slippers. They had rubber soles and she and Marcus had trampled a little trail to the forest… she was sure it wouldn't hurt to follow it. She wandered closer to it, offering the bread again and it flew off a few yards ahead before stopping and waiting.

She huffed. It seemed as if it was seeking for her to follow it. There was a strange feeling in her gut, her hunger was entirely forgotten, and as if compelled to do so, she followed the bird again. It kept this up with her trailing after it, almost in a trance until suddenly, sometime later, she was shocked out of her stupor and realized the bird was nowhere to be found.

She didn't know how long she had been out there but the forest had darkened and it had begun to snow heavily in great fluffy drops. It would have been beautiful if she had been inside, watching it from in front of the fire… she shivered violently as she realized her slippers were now soaked through and her heavy cardigan, while sufficient when she was inside, was nowhere near warm enough for a hike in the woods at night.

She hardly knew how she got here. Everything was a blur as if she had experienced highway hypnosis. She had no memory apart from her compulsion to follow the bird and she had an uneasy feeling of being watched. She felt her panic rising. Something was wrong.

Suddenly there was a crashing in the underbrush behind her. She startled, staring at the source of the noise, expecting to see a bear or pack of wolves or a red eyed man intent on draining her blood, when Marcus emerged. He looked relieved for half a second before his face turned to rage.


	17. Chapter 17

"What. Are. You-" he began to ask, his voice dangerously soft, but he looked too angry to finish his question.

"I-" she stammered, frightened by the look on his face. "There was this owl and then I-"

He growled and held up a hand to silence her. She immediately stopped talking.

"Do not speak. I do not wish to say something I will regret."

Without warning he hauled her into his arms, holding her head against his shoulder in a grip that was slightly too tight, and began to run back to the house. He deposited her on the couch in front of the fire more roughly than usual and it took her a moment to recover. She was feeling light headed and nauseous from the unexpected run so she closed her eyes and took deep breaths, seeking to steady herself before straightening and looking for him once her head stopped spinning.

With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she realized he had disappeared. She wasn't sure if he had gone to the bedroom or if he had actually left her in his anger and felt herself begin to tremble at the thought of him abandoning her.

When she was sure she would not fall over or vomit, she shakily stood up and nearly jumped when he suddenly appeared in the kitchen and looked to be making her something to eat. Usually he moved slower so she could see him and wouldn't unsettle her with his unnatural speed, but now he was merely a blur moving between the counter and fridge. Despite her anxiety, her stomach rumbled and she realized it must be over an hour past her usual dinner time. She felt the relief wash over her, knowing he hadn't left her and he was still caring for her, despite his anger at her outrageously stupid actions.

He deposited the plate on the coffee table in front of the couch and walked away again, not even looking at her as he did so. She picked at the salad and garlic bread without tasting it or really having any interest in it, but knowing it would anger him further if she didn't finish it. How could she have been so stupid? Tears welled up in her eyes from her shame.

"You left yourself vulnerable," he said from across the room, looking out the window instead of at her. "Demetri called to tell me there has been a threat made on the family. Not only could you have died from the cold, but you could have been _taken from me."_ His voice almost broke as he said the last words.

"I-I- don't know what I was- I'm so-"

"Do not speak," his voice was so hard and cold it almost made her shiver.

"You will not leave my sight again for the remainder of this trip. We are leaving in the morning. We would leave tonight but the snow prevents it."

"Yes, Marcus," she whispered. He remained like that, staring out the window without stirring, for another hour. He didn't move even one muscle and he looked as if he could be literally carved from marble. She had to admit it was both troubling and creepy and she didn't move from the couch, partly not wanting to anger him further but also not wanting to leave him alone in his current state.

His anger frightened her. His carefully guarded control rarely slipped around her and she felt the echo of fear but fought it down. She wanted to soothe him, as he had done for her countless times. She was his mate, was it not her job to comfort him when he was upset?

He did not seem in the mood to cuddle, which was usually what he offered her when she was upset… she thought about their slow and hesitant – for her part, anyway – explorations into intimacy. She knew the thought of her using her mouth on him interested him from the way he had looked at it earlier, and she loved him. She would do that for him if it would bring him comfort.

"Marcus," she said hesitantly. He looked at her, his face nearly entirely blank except for the tension around his eyes and mouth that let her know all he wanted to do was tear something apart and he was barely containing it around her. She held out her hand and made more room beside her on the couch, hoping her encouragement would be enough to melt his resolve at least this much.

He acquiesced, although his expression didn't change. It wasn't the gentle coaxing and reassurance she was used to, but Anna persevered. She adjusted herself so she was kneeling beside him. He looked at her, his face still blank though he raised one eyebrow inquisitively but still did not respond.

Slowly, she leaned over and kissed his neck. Her hands came up tentatively to his chest, running them over the hard lines of his pectoral muscles, up along his broad shoulders, shivering as she felt the rippling muscles as he tensed.

She sucked gentle kisses beneath his jaw and he began to emit a low growl. It wasn't the soothing purr she was used to, but something infinitely more feral. She felt a shiver go down her spine that was both fear and arousal.

"You are playing a dangerous game, mate."

She did not answer him, merely worked her hands beneath his shirt to pull it off. He didn't wait for her clumsy movements this time and, quicker than her eyes could discern, he tore the garment off himself and threw it on the ground. Her mouth moved down his now exposed chest, pressing kisses on the expanse of hard, marble-like flesh and flicking her tongue against his nipples. He growled again, the sound turning continuous like his purr, but much more threatening.

Her nervous hands began to move down his abdomen toward the opening of his pants. While they were not trembling, they didn't seem entirely certain either. She gave one last kiss where his heart once beat and turned her face up to look at him. His obsidian eyes bored holes into her and she struggled to maintain eye contact.

She unbuttoned them and eased the zipper down and her hand trembled now as it reached out to touch the aroused flesh. Her eyes grew large. She hadn't actually seen it out of the confines of his pants before. He was huge – much larger than Joseph - and the tip that was beginning to weep clear fluid that seemed almost luminescent. The flesh seemed to pulse almost and she could feel her walls clenching in response, both in nervousness and arousal. He snarled suddenly and caught her wrist in a vice-like grip.

"What do you think you're doing," he glared at her with such anger her entire body almost trembled.

"M-making you feel better," she whispered, biting her lip and looking down, suddenly too ashamed to look at his face.

"You think I want this of you?"

"I-," she was mortified and had no response. Clearly he didn't want her. "I'm so sorry, I just thought-"

He snarled again and suddenly she being picked up and deposited on the bed at a dizzying speed. It took her a moment to recover and process what had happened. He was now kneeling above her, one hand cupping the apex of her thighs through her pants and the other clenched in her hair so tightly it hurt. She reached up to grab the offending wrist, trying to make him loosen his hold against her scalp.

"You wish to make me feel better. This is how you may do it. Lie still."

She obeyed and released his wrist, bringing her hand back down to clutch the duvet beneath her. Her breath hitched. She hadn't seen this side of him before and it frightened her. What if he hurt her? She knew she could trust him and she knew she was his mate – his cherished, love mate – but the ferocity of his behaviour at the moment was enough to give her doubts.

"Do you trust me, piccola?" While his face was still dark and forbidding, the use of his endearment for her crumbled all her anxiety. This was still Marcus. She did not need to fear or doubt him, even at his most angry and feral.

"Yes," she breathed. He searched her face for a moment as if searching for any subterfuge and seemed satisfied with what he saw.

"I will stop if you wish me to," he said, as his hand released her hair and came to rip open her shirt and bra. She jumped at the sudden harsh movement and he growled at her, reminding her of his command to lie still. She settled again. He removed the clothes from her and she resisted the urge to cover her breasts.

He growled at the sight of her pale, trembling flesh and brought his face to one breast. He ran his nose up from the underside of it to her nipple, scenting her, before latching his mouth to the rosy tip and sucking on the delicate flesh with a ferocity that was almost too rough. She cried out at the sudden intense sensation and gave a whole-body shudder when she felt razor sharp teeth graze over it. His hand came up to pluck at the nipple of the other breast, alternating between pinching and rolling it between the marble pads of his fingers.

She was a writhing mess. The pain he delivered so harmoniously blended in with the pleasure that she did not know where one started and the other ended. He switched then, laving the nipple that he had been pinching with his tongue, while his hand kept the other sensitized. While she was thoroughly distracted with that, his hand journeyed to her waistband and slid below to cup her sex.

She jolted up, almost reaching to grab it until his growl reminded her to settle down. She whimpered, "Marcus, please…" She didn't know whether she was begging him to stop or to give her release. Either way, he ignored her plea, finally releasing both breasts only to tear her pants off in the same manner he had her shirt. Even his growl could not stop her from clenching her thighs and bringing her knees up to her chest to try and help her feel less exposed.

As strong as her legs had become with all the exercise from walking through the castle and forest, and the healthy food she had been eating, they would never be any match for his strength. He pried them open, bringing his hand back to the wet mat of curls. His hand cupped her, feeling how aroused she was, with the heel of his palm pressed against her clitoris. She moaned under her breath.

"Do you want me to stop?"

He could see how conflicted she was. Her body was over-sensitized from his rough treatment and he could see her desire conflicting with her anxiety and embarrassment. Her face was flushed, although her cheeks were rosy and her eyes shone brightly. Her hair was escaping from the braid she kept it in and a few strands were curling around her face beautifully, as if giving her a halo. While he could see her considering her answer, he brought his other hand to release the elastic and comb through the beautiful silky red curls. He loved how they looked in his hand, almost as much as he loved the curls between her legs in his hand.

After he had released her hair, he trailed the back of his hand down her neck and over one breast, its nipple still erect and aching. Her eyes fluttered closed and her breathing hitched at the sensation. "N-no…"

He offered her a purr then and he could see the instantaneous effect it had as she relaxed into the bed once more. "You are very beautiful, little mate." She blushed and he purred again, exceptionally pleased with her submission to him. He knew she was nervous and inexperienced, yet still she offered herself to him. He planned to reward her for the good behaviour.

He captured a nipple with his mouth again as his palm continued to press against her clit, beginning to move it in small circles as he knew she liked. She whimpered and reached for him. Although he could tell it was not in attempt to stop him or bar him from her body as she had done before, he still growled.

"Do not make me restrain your hands," he warned her. Her eyes flew open in shock. He looked at her, her breast still in his mouth. He felt her sheath contract and could smell the arousal from both the sight and his words. His mate may be innocent and bashful, but he could tell her appetite was suited to his.

He gave one last kiss to her breast before moving down her body to where she was most fragrant and soft. He removed his hand and she whimpered at its absence but she did not have to mourn for it long as it was quickly replaced by his mouth. He paused for a moment to admire the sight before devouring her. She was swollen and pink from arousal, her lips pouting softly so he could see the needy swell of her clitoris. Her natural lubricant was glistening from her opening and into the soft red hair.

He firmly licked over her clitoris once, twice, three times, allowing her only that small moment to acclimatize to the sensation before he sucked the small nub into his mouth and flicked it mercilessly with his tongue. She practically convulsed on the bed and a small cry escaped her lips.

A hand came up to trace her slit below his mouth, probing at her opening. It was tight, hot, and clenching. He could tell if he gave her only a little more stimulus she would be flung over the peak into orgasm as she was so close from the heady combination of her anxiety and arousal. But he wasn't going to let her have it that easily. This sweet torture was making his soul sing. It satisfied him in a primal, deeply male, and aggressive way.

He continued to tease the entrance, never fully entering it, merely giving her the barest hint of the sensation she would have. He couldn't imagine how tight and hot it would be when he was finally fully inside her. The thought made his cock twitch where it was pressed against the bed. She was emitting a constant whimper now, with little cries whenever he flicked her harder. Her hands were fisted in the sheets, her back arched off the bed with her breasts thrust in the air. She looked fucking perfect to him.

He released her clitoris and began licking circles around it, refusing to touch it now. He knew he was being to cruel, alternating between too much sensation and none. One day, he promised himself, he would keep her on this edge for _days_ when she was no longer human and could withstand it. He had never resented her humanity before now but gods, the things he would do to her when she was more durable…

His other hand continued to tease her entrance before, without warning, he thrust two fingers inside her, pushing past the tensing and quivering muscles. She nearly jumped off the bed at the intrusion, her eyes wide with shock, before she collapsed again with a guttural moan as he angled his fingers upwards and began to rub against that soft spot within her.

His fingers were rough, not even gently easing into her or giving her time to acclimate before he began fucking her with them. She knew if her mind wasn't short-circuiting with her impending orgasm she would be more upset, maybe even panicked. But as it was, she couldn't even recall a reason why she should be upset, couldn't experience a flashback or insecurity, couldn't do anything except lay back and feel what he was doing to her.

He could feel her walls fluttering around the invasion of his fingers and he almost came on the bed from the way she gripped them. She was so close he could smell her impending release. He knew if he only nudged her clit again she would clamp down around his fingers and find her orgasm, but he didn't give it to her. He continued circling with his teasing tongue and thrusting his fingers, encouraging her to orgasm from that stimulation alone.

She was whining now, panting out what sounded like his name, however she was too overwhelmed with sensation to fully manage it. He found it incredibly endearing. With one hand thrusting inside her and his mouth teasing her, he used the other to reach up her body and pinch one nipple. That was all it took to send her careening into her orgasm. She gasped, arched, and began to spasm around his fingers, the intensity of it almost forcing him out of her warmth. Her toes curled and she a little scream escaped her lips as the waves rolled over her entire body.

He let her ride out the orgasm for a minute, still working his fingers inside her to prolong it. When she began to calm, he slowed and then stopped the thrusting before gently removing his fingers from her slick channel. He gave a final gentle kiss to the swollen bundle of nerves before he kneeled above her again, releasing his cock and fisting it. He saw she had opened her eyes, although they still had the blissful, bleary look of post orgasm and she could not fully focus on him. His own eyes roamed her lush, compliant body as he began to stroke himself in hard jerks, using her own arousal as lubricant, knowing it wouldn't take more than a couple seconds to reach his own completion.

He spilled himself over her soft belly and breasts, growling and closing his eyes as he did so. When he recovered enough to reopen them and look down at her, he saw a shocked look on her face as she laid there with his seed pooling on her. He purred gently and began to rub it into her skin, bringing it down to mingle with her own release. He brought the mixture to her lips, nudging them and offering it to her. She wrinkled her nose a little but obediently opened her mouth for him.

He eased his fingers into her mouth, encouraging her tongue to lick him clean. He saw her pupils dilate as she tasted him, knowing his flavour would affect her in the same way hers affected him.

Once he was finished he laid down behind her, still purring, and tucked her back against his front. He clutched her to him tightly and finally felt his rage settle into the gentle bliss that his mate offered. He stroked her creamy skin softly, running his hand over her small waist to the exquisite softness of her hips and buttocks and back again, continuing the circuit to calm her.

After a few minutes he finally recovered enough to ask, "Did I hurt you? Are you well?"

She shook her head softly, burrowing deeper into his embrace. "I'm not hurt," she said, her voice hoarse from her previous screaming.

"I am sorry, beloved. I should not have been so rough with you."

She tilted her head back and looked at him, "Do you feel better now?"

He purred softly at her unwavering sweetness. "Yes, my love. You calmed the beast. Thank you."

She nodded, smiling softly. "Good…but next time can we do it the way we did earlier? Can we not make this an everyday thing?"

He smiled for her, "Yes. Sleep now, dearest. I will hold you."

As soon as he heard her breathing even out, he allowed his guilt to overwhelm him. He had been angry, but not at her – not really. She was young, naive, human, and it was his responsibility to watch over her and ensure her wellness. In reality, he had been terrified. And he had allowed his own weakness and inability to handle his own emotions to cloud his judgement and hurt her.

He knew she wasn't ready for that kind of intense play. She hadn't even wanted to remove her pants for him earlier that day and now he forced her to submit to his harsh attentions, ignoring her pleading…

When she awoke hours later in the morning, he had descended into grief, certain his mate would reject him after his horrendous behaviour. She astonished him when she did her usual sleepy stretch and snuggled her hips back into him, only startling slightly when she realized they were both still naked. It didn't seem to bother her too much however, as she stayed as she was with her naked ass pressed against his cock. He did not scent any anxiety, only the drowsy bliss she had in the morning.

"Beloved?" he inquired, needing to hear her voice.

"Hmmm?" he could tell she still wasn't fully awake but the sound of her soothed him.

"Are you well this morning? Do you have any pain?"

He felt her stretch herself out again, as if checking for any injury. "No," she said sweetly and snuggled herself back into his embrace. He stroked her hip gently and they lay like that for the better part of an hour. The snow was beginning to slow. They would be able to leave soon. He would need to ready her.

"I will run you a bath. Lay there and I will come get you when it is done."

"Yes, Marcus," she said in affirmative and rolled over to smile happily at him. She quickly blushed and averted her eyes when she saw him emerge from the blankets and was confronted with his nakedness. He knew she was likely remembering his shameful behaviour the night before when he had practically shoved his cock in her face before ejaculating on her to thoroughly cover her in his scent. He quickly put a pair of pants on to spare her the embarrassment before heading to the bathroom to run the water.

Once it was at the optimal temperature and filling the tub basin, he went to the kitchen to get started on her breakfast. He made her what Martha Stewart had called "bread pudding" with berries in it and put it in the oven for the appropriate time. While it was baking, he began checking his correspondences on his computer, scowling as he read an update from his brothers and typing out the proper replies, along with arranging their departure with the guard. He removed the breakfast when it was done, drizzled it with maple syrup and whipped cream, and brought it with him to wake up his mate.

She was dozing again in the bed, only the top of her little head poking out from the blankets. The sight made him smile slightly, melting his guilt and fear and anger for a few moments. He placed the breakfast tray in the bathroom before sitting on the bed and uncovering the blanket from her face and stroking it.

"Your bath is ready, my darling."

He saw her brow scrunch, not wanting to wake, and began seeking to bury her face in the pillow. He sighed and knew she would stay in the bed all day if he let her.

"We must leave soon," he murmured, running a hand softly through her hair. "You may sleep on the plane. Would you like me to carry you to the bath? Are you tired?"

"It's okay, I can walk," she mumbled and began disentangling herself from the sheet. He led her to the bubble bath, unable to stop himself from watching hungrily when he saw her bend over slightly to climb in. He could see the patch of red hair between her curvaceous thighs and felt himself hardening at the sight before chastising himself. He was disgusted with his blatant ogling of the mate he had terrorized only hours ago. It would be his own fault if she never trusted him with that part of her ever again.

Apparently completely ignorant to his inner turmoil, Anna hummed happily when she saw the breakfast he had made her and eagerly reached for it to nibble at it while luxuriating in the warm water.

He looked in the vanity drawers for some of the soap his sisters had sent ahead, finding something that smelled acceptable to him and a soft cotton washcloth which he soaked in the warm water. He was glad he was not wearing a shirt, as he was sure it would get quite soaked from this task.

"Lean forward," he gently instructed, and began to bathe his mate, starting with her delicate shoulders. She put the half finished custard down and allowed him to thoroughly cleanse every part of her, offering her arms and maneuvering to allow him access to her legs, abdomen, and gently rinsing the sensitive flesh between her thighs. He heard her breath catch when he touched her delicate folds, no doubt still sore from his rough treatment the night prior.

When he was finished he rinsed the cloth and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Take your time and enjoy your bath," he told her, and went to meet with two of the guard who were waiting outside for an update, giving her the privacy he knew she preferred.

Once he left, Anna leaned back in the warm water and looked out the window to the beautiful scenery. They had only gotten a couple days in this blissful paradise and she felt tears spring up in her eyes at the thought of leaving it. However she could not be too melancholic, as her relief was too great at knowing Marcus was not still angry at her and was not going to leave her. He was being so gentle and doting this morning – even more than usual – and she felt as if she could cry from happiness at that alone.

She consoled herself with the hope that they would be back here one day… it was a present, after all. Surely they needed to utilize and appreciate it. And, she blushed, the privacy it offered without having to worry about any of Marcus' brothers or sisters listening in on their perversions was appealing.

Thinking of last night, she shivered in both nervousness and delight. He had been so commanding and dominant and, while it had frightened her, it had also excited her. She couldn't deny that she would enjoy him doing those things to her again sometime. She remembered him delving his fingers into her mouth and having her taste him, sucking his fingers lewdly. The taste was shockingly sweet and, rather than making her want to gag, it aroused her and made her want more of it.

Yes, she mused, privacy had its benefits.

* * *

Unbeknownst to her, a little owl sat in the tree line, watching her through the window. It gave a soft hoot before taking flight and disappearing in the trees.


	18. Chapter 18

After a few more minutes of soaking, Anna hauled herself out of the bath and drained it, dried herself off, and went to get dressed, mindful of comfort if they were going to be on a plane for a couple hours. Marcus didn't seem to have packed anything and she was debating doing it herself when he returned.

"You are ready? Good, we will leave now if there is nothing else you need."

"Shouldn't we pack? And what about all the food and everything?"

"I will send the guard to take care of this later. I need to have you back under the castle's protection as soon as possible." She could hear the urgency in his voice, increasing her own anxiety in response.

"This is really serious…"

She was only just beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation by his barely concealed worry every time he laid his eyes on her.

"Yes, piccola. It is serious. Come with me, I have already packed you snacks for the trip."

He assisted her in dressing in her warm layers of outer clothing and then carefully picked her up and ran for what seemed to Anna to be an eternity but was likely only 30 seconds. They had arrived at a place where the trees had thinned out and a large armoured truck was waiting on an abandoned snow covered highway. There were only three of the guard waiting in it but Anna didn't comment or ask where the others were.

Marcus picked her up by the waist so she wouldn't have to awkwardly climb up the tall vehicle and strapped her into the harness in the seat before they immediately took off, driving much too quickly for Anna's liking across a slick sheet of ice that served as the road.

The drive took approximately an hour before they reached the airport, if it could even be called that. It was a squat building bordering a fenced tarmac with a large warehouse. There seemed to be only military vehicles and planes, along with their lone jet that was being towed out of the warehouse. Before they reached the airport, they stopped the car and Anna flinched as she heard the seven other members of the guard hop onto the back of the truck. She realized they must've been running alongside the car, likely watching for any threat Marcus seemed to think might jump out of nowhere.

They pulled up to a gate and someone looked at their licence plate before immediately opening it for them. Once again, they drove straight onto the tarmac to where the plane was waiting. She saw the steps lowered and watched the guard from the back hop out again and immediately board it with two of them circling around the outside, apparently ensuring all was clear inside and nothing had been tampered with.

One of them came down the steps and nodded at Marcus, confirming it was safe. Once he had the signal, her mate was immediately ushering her out of the truck and onto the safety of the plane. He sat her on the couch before leaving to talk to the two who had piloted them last time.

She heard the engines start and jumped in surprise, wishing Marcus was beside her once more. The tense atmosphere was making her jittery and nervous and she craved the comfort he brought her.

Finally he returned, seating himself between her and the group of the guard who had congregated at the far end once more. Anna unashamedly snuggled into his side and he wrapped an arm around her.

"I will keep you safe, I promise. More of the guard will meet us when we land."

"I know, I trust you," she said and smiled softly at him.

He purred in response and clutched her closer, however the tension didn't leave his body.

Anna did not reach a deep, peaceful sleep on this flight. She dozed, but was constantly jerked awake by a movement of the jet or merely by her own anxiety, which would not allow her to let her guard down when she was so obviously in danger. She knew Marcus wouldn't be behaving this way unless there was a credible threat. He was usually so contained and calm and the change in him disturbed her as much as the knowledge that they were threatened.

By the time they landed, she was tense, jumpy, and sore from staying in the same cramped position the whole flight. She was shocked when she stepped off the plane to see that Marcus was right about more of the guard meeting them. She saw at least 25 robed figures standing on the tarmac in the darkening light of the late evening, apparently waiting to escort them. She recognized the one who stepped forward as Demetri.

"My lady, I am relieved to see you home and well. I will ensure you are protected on your trip home."

Marcus didn't allow her to respond and immediately ushered her into the Range Rover that was waiting. As soon as the door closed she snuggled against him again, bringing her knees up with her on the seat and clinging to his arm.

He purred and stroked her hair, trying to calm her obvious anxiety. "We will be home soon, beloved. You will be safe."

She didn't respond, only clutched his arm harder and pressed her face against it. When they returned to the castle, Anna was immediately surrounded by the robed figures who seemed to form a wall around her. Marcus' grip on her led her inside and down a hallway she had never been down before. They went down flight after flight of stairs and sloping hallways, constantly descending further into the castle. It almost seemed as if they were plunging into the mountain the castle was built on.

The walls seemed to be enforced the lower they got, with steel ribs and arches holding the ceiling. Finally, at the end of the last concrete hallway, they reached a set of massive steel enforced doors. They required an access code by Marcus and a voice activation, which he quickly inputted before he heaved the door open and ushered Anna inside.

As she entered, she saw that the Volturi had actually built a reinforced bunker in the mountain itself. It was a large, cavernous room with stone walls, a couple groupings of couches and overly bright overhead lighting. The floors were plain cement, although there were a few Persian rugs separating the couches.

On the far wall there was a small kitchen and a doorway which she saw led into a bathroom. Both looked much more utilitarian than she had seen elsewhere in the castle or even in their cottage and she realized it must've been hastily placed within the past couple hours, as they wouldn't have needed either of those things before her.

Sulpicia, Dora, and Aro were sitting on two of the couches. Aro appeared to be on the phone while Sulpicia and Dora were chatting quietly together. They looked up as soon as she and Marcus entered and both smiled in relief.

In their excitement, they both ran to Anna, causing her to flinch as Sulpicia had suddenly thrown her arms around Anna and squeezed her so tightly it threatened to rebreak her ribs.

Dora kissed her enthusiastically on both cheeks and embraced her as well, although hers was quicker and looser. "It brings me relief to see you here safely," she looked at Marcus and added, "And you as well, brother," before embracing him as well. He hardly managed a polite nod of his head at her, which even Anna could see looked tense and stiff.

He led her to the couches and settled her with her back against once of the arms and her legs over his and she calmed at his proximity and their return to the somewhat familiarity of their family. He began to caress down the length of her calf seemingly unconsciously, which calmed her further, and began talking to Aro, who was still on the phone. The only way she could tell he and Aro were having one of their strange, silent conversations was through the odd twitching and trembling of their lips, which was interrupted every few seconds by Aro's voice at a normal volume as he answered whoever was on the phone. 

Sulpicia and Dora resettled themselves on the opposite couch and seemed to give her a once over. Anna blushed, knowing they were likely appraising her for any recent activities she and Marcus may have engaged in on their brief private vacation.

"So, how is Russia?" Dora asked, smirking slightly. Anna blushed furiously and immediately looked away.

"That good, huh?" Sulpicia joined in the teasing.

"Sisters, be nice," Marcus warned without turning away from his conversation with Aro.

He had his phone out now while both he and Aro had simultaneous conversations with each other and whoever was on the other line.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Sulpicia removed a rose gold phone from her pocket and handed it to her. "I programmed your phone for you, you're certainly going to need it. It's going to be dreadfully dull until this is sorted out."

"Yes, I can see how being under siege is such a bore," Anna said, sarcasm clear in her tone.

"What happened to the quiet girl who jumped at her own shadow only weeks ago?" Dora inquired teasingly to Sulpicia. "Who is this impudent little thing who sasses predators and incites snow fights with them?"

* * *

 

As it turned out, they weren't wrong. Hours later found Anna laying on one of the couches and playing Tetris on her phone. Marcus and Aro had left soon after they had arrived and she still felt the pang of abandonment, which she knew was illogical. He wasn't leaving her. And she knew she had no real reason to fear for him. He was strong and fierce and their family had a large army at their disposal, from what she'd seen of the guard so far. And besides, neither Dora nor Sulpicia looked overly concerned.

And yet when he had kissed her forehead and let her know he would likely not be back until late that evening, she found herself gripped with terror for him. She wanted to grab his hand and beg him not to go. But she didn't. She nodded at him, and, while she was sure her face showed her sorrow and anxiety, she tried to keep it contained and not allow it to rule her. She had leaned up to kiss his mouth, a sweet, quick one as she was very mindful of the fact that they were no longer in their secluded private cottage, and watched him leave.

The ache in her heart had grown by the hour until she felt as if it was going to stop beating and snap in half at the strain. It had never felt this way before, not even that time when she had gotten lost leaving the library and had been cornered by a red-eyed man hungry for her blood. Perhaps it was because they were bonded more fully now that they had been intimate? Or perhaps it was the leftover neediness and emotions from their coupling the night before? Or maybe it was just because this time she knew he was threatened? She shivered.

One of the guard that had been left to guard Sulpicia, Dora, and herself came to sit on the couch across from her. Her hair was golden and pin straight, falling glossily to her collarbones. She was wearing a dark grey robe over a formfitting black dress, which showed a figure a Victoria's Secret model would kill for.

"My lady, if you would permit me, I would use my gift for you."

Anna looked away from her phone and sat up quickly, righting her clothes from where they had rumpled in her sulking. She didn't need to feel even more ugly and classless around these people than she already did. "Your gift?"

"Yes, my lady. I am able to induce contentment. I can see you are feeling anxious and I would be pleased to ease it for you."

"O-okay," Anna said, admittedly eager at the idea of having a limitless, portable Valium supply. She saw the woman's lovely face take on a gentle smile before, a few seconds later, her brows creased. She took on a look of concentration a few moments later before frustration took over. Anna felt a wave of ambivalence settle over her anxiety, but it was nowhere near contentment and it did not last long.

"You are blocking me, my lady?"

"No?" Anna looked confused, then remembered. "Marcus said that Aro couldn't read me though, I think he called me a shield? Could that be affecting it?"

Awe took over the woman's face. "You are truly powerful to be able to block Master Aro as a human. I feel foolish for even trying what he could not accomplish."

"Sorry, I had kinda forgotten about it," Anna said sheepishly. Mentally she began to sulk again. There goes the portable, limitless Valium idea…

* * *

 

"A newborn army? Are they mad," came Aro's incredulous voice. Demetri, Felix, and Alec had been dispatched on a reconnaissance mission and had just returned with their findings. "Do they wish to notify the humans of our kind? Is that their last-ditch effort? They are willing to die as long as they kill us too?"

"Alec, why could you not use your gift to subdue them? The three of you could've solved this problem in an afternoon," Caius questioned, scowling.

Marcus was sure Alec would've blushed if he could've. "I apologize, my king. The Romanians have become smarter. They have their army separated into small contingents and are staying in human apartment buildings. I cannot control the fog to the extent it would be necessary not to notify any of the surrounding humans."

Marcus sighed. They should've killed the remaining Romanians centuries ago. Every few decades they dispatched Demetri to ensure they were not up to anything that would be a threat, and they always fled. Marcus cursed their family's decision to let them play their little games for so many centuries. They should've pursued until they had them trapped like the cockroaches they were.

"What shall we do then? Meet them in open field?"

"Aro, you know that is the best option. We shall bring the fight to them and keep them far from our mates. I cannot put Anna in further danger than she already is," Marcus told him, clearly not willing to compromise on this issue. "That is the best option for utilizing the gifts of the guard as well."

Aro sighed. He hated open battle and he hated the strategy and tactics involved. He was more interested in stealth and outwitting his opponent.

"Very well. We leave in an hour. At least the jet is still prepared and ready to leave," he grumbled as he began making arrangements.

* * *

 

"Tesoro."

She heard Marcus' voice and smiled. At least her pining was giving her pleasant dreams of her mate. Even if she was miserable when she was conscious, it was almost worth it if she could dream of his wonderful voice. It sounded so real too, she was impressed with her imagination's ability to conjure up the spine-tingling timbre of it.

"Beloved, open your eyes for me."

Her eyes flew open as she suddenly realized she wasn't dreaming. When she had begun dozing on the couch Dora had dimmed the lights but Anna could still see the outline of him sitting next to her on the couch and stroking a hand through her hair.

"I must leave now. I do not know how long we will be gone for but it should not be more than a couple days. You have everything you need here. Sulpicia and Dora will ensure you are fed and well, and the guard will ensure you are safe. You have nothing to be concerned for."

"A couple days?"

Even to her own ears, Anna could tell how heartbroken her voice sounded.

"That is the worst scenario, my darling. In fact, I expect we will be back before noon tomorrow. That is just in case they prove difficult."

"That's not the worst scenario… what if you don't come back at all?"

She almost burst into tears just at the thought of it. She couldn't even entertain the notion.

"That will not happen, I promise," he purred for her and settled back further into the couch so she could crawl into his lap.

"You can't promise that," she mumbled against his neck. She was frantically trying to memorize his scent and clinging to him with all her meager human strength.

"You must hold me to it, then."

She leaned back and looked into his face, her eyes boring into him. "Promise me you will be careful. I don't know what I would do without you. I love you," her voice softened on the last three words, barely more than a whisper.

"As I love you, my darling." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering there for a few seconds.

"I will be back before you know it."

As he got up to leave an even more soul-crushing sense of dread and anxiety settled over it. Something was wrong. They shouldn't do this. She had the strangest sense of foreboding and felt frantic to make him stay. He seemed to know what was troubling her and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing his sweet breath over her face as his massive hand came up to cup the back of her head.

"Shhhh, my mate. These feelings are only from the bond. It is still new and fragile. It is natural that you wish to stay with me, but we must be strong. It will be okay. You will see."

She inhaled a shaky breath and nodded against him, not at all convinced. "Okay. I'll see you soon."

* * *

 

"Surely there must be a better way. There is a field here," Marcus gestured to the place on the map. "There are no cities around for miles. It would be better."

"We cannot relinquish the advantage," Aro argued.

Marcus wasn't sure whether it was finally finding his gentle, delicate, human mate and the effect she had had on him to settle his more violent tendencies, but he was suddenly very ambivalent about this proposed plan of Aro's. The Romanian army was on the move and his brother's solution was to massacre a small Serbian town that lay atop a mountain in the direction the army was traveling, offering the advantage of higher ground from which to intersect them.

He looked to Caius for support but shouldn't have bothered. He knew he was outnumbered. What did either of them care for a few hundred humans? Especially considering feeding the guard would strengthen them for the upcoming fight and better their odds of victory.

"Fine, do what you will, but I will have no part in it," he said shortly and walked away. "Let me know when the battle begins."

Hours later, the two armies met in the playing field in the elementary school in the small town. The guard had annihilated every human who lived there, down to the last infant, and they would burn the site to the ground once the battle was done so no traces were left. Marcus could still smell the blood on the air and deep in his gut, he felt the pang of wrongness, but he ignored it for the sight before him.

Snow blew through the air between them but neither side seemed to notice. The Volturi were outnumbered by 50% but they had never let that bother them before. The other side may have numbers, but they had skill and experience. They were ready to fight and win against these undertrained newborns until they heard the feral growling emerging from the trees behind the Romanians. Marcus had to suppress a shudder at the realization that they had brought Children of the Moon with them. The beasts began creeping up behind the army, flanking them.

Marcus saw Caius stiffen and snarl out of the corner of his eye, certain his brother's memory was flashing back the time he was almost bested and killed by one. After that, the Volturi had hunted them to near extinction, but Vladimir and Stefan must've squirreled them out from whatever dank hole they had hidden in and brought them to fight for them.

A few members of the younger guard who had never encountered these beasts looked frantically around in search of the sound which sent a shiver up the spine of each of their kind. Children of the Moon were their natural enemies, the only thing other than each other which could kill them…

"It seems they truly do wish to die," Aro said, a snarl on his face, suddenly itching for battle.

"Then we must oblige them, brothers." He nodded to Alec, signaling for him to start the use of his gift. At the sight of the creeping fog, the newborn army attacked, trying to take them on in the wings and avoid the numbing mist, but the Volturi guard was well versed in their formation and was prepared for this. They picked off each of the badly trained newborns methodically, only losing two of their numbers in the process before the wolves attacked.

They were the size of horses with jaws that could enclose one's entire head. They were as fast as the vampires, however they could not fend off many of them at once, which was where their advantage would lie. Aro called for their group formations and the guard began picking off each of the wolves as packs of three or four. Marcus and Caius took down half the number on their own, driven by Caius' rage and bloodlust and Marcus' frantic need to eliminate any threat on his defenseless mate.

Marcus was tearing the jaw off of the last of them when a sinking feeling of dread hit him. "I have not seen Vladimir nor Stefan anywhere here."

He and Caius began going through the carnage of bodies, searching for a sign of either of them or for the older vampires that must've changed and trained this army, but there was none. It was only the young ones who were still fueled by the blood of their human body who were lying on this field.

If Vladimir and Stefan were not here… where were they? Marcus felt his stomach sink with dread. Had the Volturi been outsmarted – led to this battlefield and distracted for several hours while the real battle was taken back to Volterra? To his vulnerable mate?

* * *

He had been gone for two days. 50 hours, to be exact. It had become increasingly difficult to sleep and now Anna could barely manage to doze for a half hour at a time before she was jerked awake with the overwhelming sense of foreboding. Every time Dora or Sulpicia looked at her, she saw worry in their eyes, although they tried to mask it.

They had given up trying to engage her in reading or games and finally allowed her to just sit on the couch in a ball, wearing one of her mate's dirty shirts from the cottage. Someone had left their luggage in the bunker but hadn't thought to wash it. The evening after Marcus had left, Anna had put the shirt on to sleep in and she never took it off. The light scent of him still clinging to the fabric was the only thing keeping her sane.

She had her legging-clad legs tucked into the shirt and had her arms wrapped around them, staring at the door and willing Marcus to enter through it.

"Anna," came Dora's hesitant voice. "You have not had dinner yet, would you like to eat now? I am not as good at cooking human food as Marcus but I can make something if you like," her voice trailed off uncertainly.

Anna looked at her briefly and gave a weak smile. "No, it's okay. I'm not hungry. Thanks, though." She turned her attention back to the door where she had last seen her mate.

"Marcus told us we need to make sure you eat," came Sulpicia's similarly hesitant voice. "Why don't you at least eat some fruit? Perhaps that will incite your appetite?"

Anna sighed. She knew they would not drop this issue and dragged herself off the couch. She tried not to shuffle to the back corner with the kitchen, tried to make herself seem functional and normal and not the dried-out husk of a person she felt like. She picked up an apple out of the bowl on the counter and bit into it, angling herself so she could watch the door again as she ate.

She knew this wasn't healthy but she couldn't bring herself to care. She could hardly even concentrate on a single thought for the time it would take for her to feel ashamed or embarrassed anyhow.

Her angst was interrupted when the castle suddenly shook as if a bomb had been dropped on it.


	19. Chapter 19

All the vampires, along with Anna, froze. They stood like that for less than a second, still as statues, and then suddenly they jolted into action. A contingent of six of them – half the guard left behind to guard the queens – immediately left through the giant steel doors and Anna heard a grinding from within them. She realized with a quiver that they must be locking them inside.

Dora anxiously led Anna over to the couches furthest from the door and she and Sulpicia each sat on either side of her, their eyes flicking around rapidly as if trying to locate where an attack might come from. The remaining six members of the guard, including the beautiful young girl who had saved Anna weeks prior, grouped around them. They all appeared to be on high alert and Anna knew she should be much more alarmed, but it seemed as if every emotion and thought had been smothered by a heavy, wet blanket. Everything else seemed to pale in comparison to her yearning for Marcus. The impending attack on the castle only made her want him more, rather than feel the fear she rationally knew she should be experiencing.

Suddenly, there was a sharp tug from within her. It almost felt as if something were gripping her very soul and was trying to tear it out of her. She saw her vision start to go dark around the edges as it did when she was going to faint. The tugging continued until she felt as if she were going to split in two from it.

"Anna? Dear?"

She heard Dora's concerned voice but it seemed almost as if it came from underwater. The voices were muffled and seemed to be getting farther away. "Anna? Anna? Open your eyes! What's wrong with her?"

She heard nothing further as everything went black and Anna was pulled into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

Marcus, Aro, and Caius left six members of the lower guard to take care of the carnage in the town before evacuating the remaining guard to the jets. Aro was frantically making arrangements for the jet to make an emergency landing in one of the small private airports nearer to Volterra rather than going to its usual storage in Rome. It was good that it was night, so as soon as they landed they could run to the castle under the cover of dark. It would be quicker than driving and Marcus was frantic to return to his mate as soon as possible.

He could not recall ever feeling this gripping sense of pure fear that tore through him in his entire life, both mortal and immortal. He desperately needed to find his mate and ensure she was safe or he felt certain he would fade - the term they had used to describe a vampire after the loss or rejection of their mate. They stopped feeding, moving, speaking, and eventually would seek their final death. The Volturi had committed this act of mercy many times and Marcus finally understood an inkling of what it must feel like when an immortal is so driven to madness with loss that they would seek an end... He could not imagine existing a minute longer without her.

In desperation, he checked his bond sight and it almost sent him into a full-blown panic. Their bond was stretched so tight it looked as if it might snap. Between both of their heightened emotions and the separation from one another, the strain was more than the new bond could handle. He tried to seek her through the bond, tried to ascertain her health and wellbeing as his brothers and sisters could… but he could feel nothing, only an impenetrable blackness. His siblings' bonds were stronger and older and they were immortal and able to handle the strain. Anna was delicate and human and they hadn't had a chance to solidify their union yet. If only they had had a few weeks at her cottage, perhaps it would be stronger… but as it was, Marcus thought despairingly, they would be lucky to both get out of it with no permanent damage.

It took them slightly more than two hours to get back to the castle. By the time they had exited the jet and ran straight toward Volterra through the forests and back roads, Marcus had almost succumbed to a despair. He had never felt anything even remotely similar to this before. He almost longed for the numb blanket of apathy he had succumbed to for the past few millennia but even with this despair, he could not fully commit to the feeling. As painful as this was, having held her for even a short while was worth it.

They arrived up the mountain just in time to see the main gate crumble with a deafening crash, as if a human bomb had been detonated. They heard multiple more crashes as they realized all the entrances had all been similarly destroyed. Marcus wasted no time, willing to demolish the castle if he had to in order to get to her. He began to tear a wall down with his bare hands, mindless towards anything except getting to his mate. He heard Demetri issuing orders to the guard, sending groups of them to different wings and levels to secure them. A contingent of guards remaining, along with his brothers, raced to help and they collapsed a sizeable hole in the wall which they crawled through.

They could clearly smell the scent of Vladimir, Stefan, and two other males leading down the hallway to their panic bunker, as if they had known exactly where it was. They followed the path as if tracing it on a map. Marcus did not know how they knew it even existed, let alone how to get there, but he didn't concern himself with that yet. They were close. They hadn't reached Anna yet. He would still save her and keep his promise of protecting her from further harm.

He could hear them in front of him, still racing ahead, but Marcus knew they were closing in on them. Soon he would kill those fucking Romanians once and for all. A rumble sounded and the tunnel ahead of him caved in and he snarled in rage at yet another barrier separating him from his mate's safety, another diversion that would prevent him from getting to her in time. They cleared a path through the rubble but it put them behind the Romanians by another half minute. A half minute in which they could kill his delicate mate.

He heard the tearing of metal coming from below them and he realized they must've reached the bunker's entrance. Marcus was not a particularly religious man, but he found himself praying to any god who would listen that the doors were strong enough to hold until he got there. Only another 30 seconds and he would reach them and destroy every creature that even dared to threaten his mate.

He almost paused when he heard a scream echoing through the tunnel. They were too late. His stomach dropped.

The next seconds seemed as if they passed in a blur. They took both an eternity and no time at all. Marcus tore into the room, hardly even noticing the six beheaded bodies from the lower guard outside the doors. His eyes immediately sought out Anna and he saw that Athenodora and Sulpicia had placed his unconscious mate in a far corner and were standing over her along with one of the lower guard.

Heidi was using her gift and luring one of the unknown males away from them before promptly removing his head. Jane had Stefan writhing on the floor while Corin and Chelsea were battling a snarling Vladimir. The other unknown male was stalking toward their mates.

Marcus narrowed in on him, swiftly removed his head, which he threw towards Vladimir with such force that the Romanian's neck became dislocated. By the time it had snapped back into place, Marcus was there, forcing his hand through the still-cracked neck and tearing it clear off.

"Thank you, my king," Corin breathed in relief. She was never a strong fighter, Marcus knew, which was why she was left with their mates. Her job was to serve and entertain, not protect.

He looked up in time to see Stefan's limbs parted with his body by Caius and Aro. He did not allow himself relief however, as his attention was drawn back to his mate's lifeless body. He had eyes for no one else and fell to his knees before her.

"Marcus," he heard Sulpicia's strained voice. "She is not hurt, I believe she is suffering a strain on the bond. She will be fine now that you are here."

He did not answer her, barely even heard the words… he collapsed to the floor and cradled his fragile mate in his arms, pressing his forehead to hers.

"You are safe, beloved, I promise. I am here now. I promised I would not allow anyone to hurt you and I will not. You are safe. Please, wake for me." He forced a gentle purr out of his chest, knowing it would soothe her.

He vaguely heard Aro and Caius ordering that Vladimir and Stefan be taken to the dungeon but not reassembled. He heard them reunite with Sulpicia and Athenodora. He heard the guard filtering in to report that the castle was clear of any other intruders. He heard Sulpicia begin ordering them to start clearing away the rubble and assess the damage on the castle. He heard Athenodora instructing Heidi to find their human staff to come handle the press and villagers who were distressed by the sudden explosions and demolishment. But he saw none of it. Did not care about any of it.

His eyes never left her face and his purr never wavered. He readjusted her so she was sitting on his lap with her head resting against his shoulder, as they had often sat in the library. His hand began its customary petting of her hair and he tried telling her that she was safe again, that he had vanquished the threat and would never allow anyone near her again. He told her he wasn't even sure he'd ever let her out of his sight again. He told her how he loved her, how he longed to see her beautiful eyes…

Later, he didn't know if it was seconds or minutes or hours, she began to stir. Her eyes clenched and then opened, staring at him, though they were still hazy and unfocused from the sleep and bond strain.

"I wasn't dreaming…" she whispered, reaching a delicate hand to stroke his face in awe. "You're back."

"I am. I promised you I would be back, my darling."

She tilted her face up, seeking his lips with her own. He leaned forward to meet her and pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her sweetly and reverently. She pressed more insistently, moving her lips against his sensually and using her tongue to trace his bottom lip.

He pulled away, smiling at her in a way that she made her feel as if she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "I cannot think when you kiss me that way, beloved."

"Then don't think," she responded, pressing closer to kiss him again. When he frowned and did not oblige her she whimpered in distress. "Please, Marcus, I need this. I feel like I'm going crazy. It's like there's something pulling at me and I just _know_ if we… you know…" she blushed in embarrassment, but pressed forward, driven by the awful feeling tugging against her soul that had reawoken as soon as she had regained consciousness, "It will make it stop. Please."

He froze, her words piercing his soul and reminding him of the cause of his fright earlier when he realized the state of the bond. He felt dread as he comprehended she was feeling a compulsion to secure their unstable bond. He knew that intimacy generally encouraged the formation of a bond and strengthened it in new bondmates... and their bond was so strained that it would likely begin compelling her to consummate it immediately. It was only logical that the human member of the bond would be coerced to seek safety with their mate, especially after their separation and the danger she had just experienced. He felt as if he had failed her, that their bond should be in such a perilous state that she would be feeling this, and his despair built once again.

Despite his turbulent feelings, he could not deny her pleading. How could he withhold something which would ease her suffering? And yet he felt reluctance, as he knew it was likely not what she would've wanted if she were able to think properly. She deserved to be able to make the choice on her own without feeling compelled into it – and he knew she was likely traumatized enough after their last coupling. But he was equally powerless against his own compulsions and instincts, which demanded he appease and comfort her, and ensure the stability of their bond.

"Shhhh," he murmured to her. "I will take care of you. Do not fret. Close your eyes now, my darling. I will take you back to our room."

He prayed the family wing was still functional and hadn't been damaged in the bombs planted by the Romanians. Seconds later he sent a silent prayer of thanks to the gods when it appeared that the wing was untouched except for the extra dust he noticed, which had settled over everything after the rattling and disruption of the explosions.

He laid her in his bed – where she was meant to be, he thought to himself – and stretched himself out next to her. He looked into her wide eyes, which were finally managing to hold focus better now that she was more awake and receiving comfort from his touch.

His hand traced her face, dipping under her jaw to her soft neck. Her eyes fluttered closed and she arched her head to the side to give his hand more access. He smiled softly at her and leaned in to kiss her. His lips were gentle, not responding to the ferocity of hers as she continued trying to entice him. Even if she was compelled by frantic instinct, he would not succumb to it. He had to give her the experience she deserved for their first joining.

His hand came to the neck of her shirt and he realized it was the one he had been wearing the first day they spent in their cottage, when she had first allowed his touch between her legs… he growled at the sight of her in it. She was wearing his scent and it almost made him flip her over and take her there, confirming his claim on her.

She shivered and moaned at the sound. He could smell her arousal in the air and knew when he reached her panties they would be soaked through.

He began unbuttoning the shirt, caressing each silky sliver of skin that was revealed. When it was finally fully undone, she was shivering and whimpering in need and her legs were spread wide, as if in invitation. He traced the waistband of the deep green lace panties she was wearing and she wiggled her hips, trying to help him pull them down.

He leaned over, straddling her with one of his legs between hers and reached down to kiss her again. She began grinding against his leg that was pressed between hers and was clutching at his neck to pull her body closer to his. He groaned at the feel of her wet centre against him and the softness of her breasts, now only contained within the lace bra she wore.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured, so distracted by her lush body that he wasn't even aware what language he was speaking to her in. He tore through the front of the matching green bra and took the straps off her. She didn't even respond to the savagery with a gasp as she usually would have, except to moan and thrust her breasts up, seeking his mouth. He obliged and pulled one into his mouth, flicking the pink tip with his tongue.

His hand dipped into her panties, replacing his thigh she had been grinding herself against. She whimpered as she felt his finger brush over the aching button of nerves at her centre.

"Marcus, please…"

At her pleading, he began brushing his fingertips over her clenching entrance, teasing and preparing her before gently easing two fingers into her. She convulsed around him and he growled at the feeling of how tight and wet she was. She hugged his fingers like a glove, massaging and gripping them. He anticipated how wonderful that would feel when replaced with his cock and ground his fingers deeper. His thumb came to rub her clitoris as he began thrusting inside her.

Almost immediately, she began pulsing around him in rhythmic waves as her release washed over her. The swiftness in which it happened surprised him and he purred for her in reward, encouraging more of her release. He watched her face in awe as she rode it out. Her lovely pink lips had popped open as her eyes clenched shut as she cried out lightly at the intensity.

"Good girl…" He purred for her and thrust several more times as he saw the orgasm begin to build again. Her eyes flashed open in shock as she felt it, having not realized the release could build so soon after the last one, before fluttering closed again when he ground his thumb into her sensitive button of nerves and began pressing circles around it.

She came twice more, once on his fingers and once on his tongue when he could no longer resist the tantalizing scent of her. He lapped up the sweet arousal from her opening and sucked gentle kisses into her over-sensitized bundle of nerves. He continued the gentle suction until she came again, her hands clutching his hair as she unashamedly ground her hips into his mouth, having been fully lost to the euphoria and no longer feeling her usual anxiety or shame.

She was breathing heavily when she resurfaced from the last orgasm and pulled him up from where he was kneeling between her legs to kiss him. She could taste herself on his mouth and found it strangely appealing, rather than distasteful.

"It is no fair that I am naked and you are dressed," she teased as she kissed from his mouth to the portion of his neck that was bared to her. After the sexual release and the close contact with him, the tugging at her to consummate their bond had lessened and she was able to think more clearly… and now she was sure she wanted him naked, wanted to be able to see and admire his perfect body, and experience how perfect it would feel inside her.

"How right you are, my love. Please forgive me for this grievous injustice," he teased back, relieved to hear her lucid voice. She pushed on his shoulder to roll him off her and onto his back and then straddled him, grinning triumphantly as if she had won a great victory over him.

"I may be persuaded…" she murmured slyly before tugging at the buttons of his shirt. "If certain requirements are met."

She leaned in closer to breathe him in and she could smell smoke and an odd offsetting sweetness in the fabric of his clothing... and she wanted it off him immediately. It smelled _wrong,_ although she couldn't describe how. Driven by this instinct, she hastened her undressing, barely taking the time to unbutton his pants before she was impatiently tugging them off him. He watched her in amusement and a small amount of concern over whatever had caused this distress. Once he was fully bare before her, erect and aching, she finally calmed and seemed settled.

His cock twitched when she shuffled down his body, sniffing him as he went with her small human nose, and pressing open mouthed kisses down his abdomen and on his thighs before she gently touched his erection. Her hands were not as hesitant as they had been the night when she had tried to use this to comfort him, however they seemed uncertain, as if she wasn't sure how to touch him. She gently trailed a finger up the underside of his shaft, from the base to the tip and then paused.

He was saved from asking her if she needed assistance when she leaned her face down to smell him deeply and kissed the tip of him chastely. Her little pink tongue darted out to taste the fluid that had beaded there before she released him and sat back up. He groaned at the feel of her, wanting to thrust into her mouth and barely restrained himself.

She didn't seem inclined to do more than taste him, however, as she immediately crawled back up his body to kiss him. He purred and returned it, enjoying the faint mixture of each other's flavours mingling in their mouths.

He flipped her over so she was on her back once again and hovered over her. He could see she was more lucid, though the taste of him had entranced her. But he needed confirmation – needed to be certain she was ready for what they were about to do, rather than just mindlessly compelled by the bond. "You are sure this is what you want?"

She looked him in the eye and said, "Yes. Marcus… I want you."

Finally, he could no longer resist. That was all he needed before he kneeled between her legs and stroked a hand down her body, calming her nerves.

"Tell me if you are hurting and I will stop."

He lined himself up with her entrance and began to push forward, feeling her body envelop him as he did so. It was the most exquisite sensation he had ever experienced and her gasp of pain was the only thing that stopped him from thrusting himself fully inside her and seeking out more of the pleasure her body offered him.

He saw her brow crease and her lips fell open with a gasp while her hands fisted in the bedsheet. He purred to comfort her and stroked a hand from the underside of her breast to her hip again before rocking himself further inside her, fully encasing the head of his cock in her tight, wet heat. A sound was wrenched from the back of her throat at the feeling and her hand came to press against his pelvis, as if trying to make him pause and prevent him from entering her further. He smelled the sharp scent of her anxiety beginning to overcome the arousal that had surrounded her earlier.

"Darling? Do you wish to stop?" He prayed she would say no. He wanted to feel himself fully inside her, wanted to fuck her the way he had been dreaming of doing since he first saw her, wanted to love her the way his instincts demanded.

"Mm-mm," came her strained hum and she shook her head slightly. "It's okay, it just hurts a little… I'm sure it'll feel better soon."

His thumb came to rub her clit in circles, trying to give her pleasure so she could ignore the pain. While he understood she had been forced into this act before and it was not her first time, he knew his size would still be a struggle for her to accommodate at first, and he cursed that he would cause her suffering where there should only be pleasure.

Once he smelled her arousal begin to build again and he felt her inner walls relax slightly against him, he pushed forward, burying another inch inside her. He continued that way, rocking and rubbing every inch forward, until his pelvis was flush against hers. He groaned at the feeling. She was so tight she gripped him like a fist, clenching so hard he couldn't tell whether she was trying to pull him further in or push him out.

She whimpered in relief when she felt his hips bump against hers, thankful he was finally fully inside her. She was straining against the instinct to push him away, wanting to reject the overlarge intrusion and did not think she could take much more. She took a deep breath, seeking to calm herself, and shivered as the slight movement made him move inside her.

She looked up to him and saw how strained his face was, as if he was desperately trying to maintain control over himself. She felt a rush of satisfaction at the knowledge that she had caused him so much pleasure that he was close to losing control.

He met her eyes and it felt as if the world tilted on its axis and suddenly the world stood still. He felt himself pulled toward her, as if they were two magnets being snapped together. The rest of the universe ceased to exist except the feel of him inside her and the love shared silently between them.

Unable to restrain himself further, their eye contact having heightened every nerve ending until he was nearly shaking with need, he gently withdrew himself a couple inches before easing back inside her, grinding his pelvis against her clitoris in a small circle when he was fully sheathed inside her once more. He continued like that until her grimaces and winces began turning to gasps as she felt the echo of pleasure rebuilding.

Soon, his thrusts started becoming erratic and she reached up to cup his face, pulling him closer to kiss him. Her legs circled his waist and she whimpered as the angle narrowed her channel, giving him more friction and allowed him to angle himself into her more deeply.

She was chafed and sore and stretched beyond capacity, yet her orgasm was building with every frenzied thrust. She began to fear it as the intensity built, not sure she could handle that with the way he felt inside of her.

Her decision was made for her when he gripped her hair none too gently and turned her face to look at him. "Come for me now," he ordered and she obeyed, unable to stop her body from responding to his words. She clamped around him like a vice and cried out from the overwhelming pleasure overcame her. Her toes curled and she clutched him, holding onto him like an anchor as the wave crashed over her. She could feel her walls still fluttering around him moments later when he let out a snarl.

His hips stuttered against her and she felt his cool, wet ejaculate coating her inside. It lasted only seconds but she was so entranced by the look of pleasure on his face it could've been hours. His mouth was slack and his eyes closed peacefully and she felt as if everything in the world settled into a peaceful quiet around them. All the fear and longing of the previous days was forgotten and only his cool skin and their soft bed remained.

When his hips finally stilled, he groaned and gently thrust into her once, twice, three more times, purring at the sweet, gentle stimulation of her still quivering flesh over his sensitive cock after the staggering orgasm she had given him. She winced as he did so, suddenly very aware of her acute discomfort now that her pleasure was not muting it. He startled and realized he was hurting her and gently but hastily withdrew, smelling the air to ensure she wasn't bleeding.

The familiar guilt washed over him once more. He kept losing himself in his own pleasure and hurting her and he cursed himself for it. After this, he promised himself, she would know nothing but pleasure with him.

He laid beside her and hovered over her torso, kissing her forehand and gently stroking her face. "Are you well, piccola? I am sorry for hurting you. Are you still in pain? Do you need something to ease it?"

She smiled softly and mimicked him, bringing her hand up to gently caress his face from his proud, broad forehead to his chin. "I am not in a great deal of pain, and that was…" she blushed. "Extraordinary. Even with the discomfort."

"After this, it will not hurt as much, I promise," he said, purring for her to calm her further and help her get some much-needed sleep. He saw the bruises under her eyes and knew she likely had not rested much while he was gone.

He shifted her so he was laying behind her with his arms wrapped around her, pulling her tight against him so she could feel his purr, as well as hear it.

"I love you," he heard her murmur before her breathing evened out and she floated into her slumber. He checked his bond sight and saw theirs was stable once more, and stronger now that they had shared this night together. He held her tighter to him as he remembered how close she had been to death. If he was a few seconds later, he may have lost her.

Even as he was holding her, knowing she was safe and warm and well in his arms, the thought still sent a jolt of fear and grief through him. No, he was definitely not letting her out of his sight for a very long time.


	20. Chapter 20

Anna awoke in Marcus' arms, feeling blissfully boneless in the soft morning light. He was purring gently now that she was awake and his arms tightened around her, holding her to him tighter so that every inch of her length was pressed against his front. She sighed happily at the feeling. It felt as if all was right in the world again. The anxiety and dread of the previous days had vanished entirely, leaving her with only comfort and joy now that she was reunited with her mate.

She felt his erection hardening against her, nestled against her ass, and she gasped. He gently rocked it against her and reached a hand to her breasts, tugging on the nipple closest to him and making her moan at the sensation it caused. Wanting to be able to look at his face and kiss him, she turned in his arms to face him and froze. Muscles she hadn't even realized she had between her legs screamed at her in pain and she grimaced. His purr stopped immediately and he sat up with concern. "Piccola? What's wrong?"

She collapsed on her back and winced, trying not to even breathe so she wouldn't jostle her aching muscles even more. "I hadn't even thought about the morning after. I'm afraid I might not be quite so ready for round two."

Understanding dawned on his face and he began purring again, a knowing smile on his perfect face. "I will get you something for the pain."

"Thank you," she said with a slight whimper, pouting slightly and not bothering to even try and get up to follow him. She was still lying there pathetically and feeling sorry for herself when he returned with two pills in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

He climbed back into the bed and snuggled her closer once more once she had swallowed the capsules.

"It should not be this sore again," he said wryly, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "I am truly sorry for it."

"You're not sorry," she grumbled. "You're smug."

He laughed, a rich, deep, delicious sound. "Can you blame me? I am truly a blessed male," he said lasciviously as he tugged her closer, careful to avoid moving her. "I have such an accommodating and responsive mate."

"I'm cursed," she huffed.

He stopped teasing and his voice became serious as he ran his hand from her waist to her hip and did the familiar circuit back again. "I do not wish to hurt you. I promise it will get better. You are my mate and we were made for one another, after all. Your body will adjust."

His voice turned stern, "For now, however, you will not leave my sight. I will have your things moved from the guest room here, where you will be safe with me. The strain from the bond knocked you unconscious and it will still be sensitive to my absence until things have settled more. I will not be separated from you."

"O-okay," she said, slightly anxious from his stern scolding, although not averse to staying with him in his room anymore. She no longer worried about propriety or being a nuisance. And besides, no matter where she slept, he was always with her anyways. It made sense for him to be where he was most comfortable. "But you dealt with the threat and whoever set off that bomb? We're safe from that?"

"How did you know about that?" He frowned. He thought she had been blissfully unaware of their siege and how close she came to death. It was the only positive thing to come from their strained bond – that she had not had to witness more trauma at the hands of Vladimir and Stefan. That she may have been saved that horror at the very least. Well, that and the events of the previous night when he had finally been permitted to make love to this sweetest of creatures.

"I passed out after a bomb went off so I assumed they had made it back here, but you caught them right?"

He paused and seemed reluctant to answer, "We discovered their ploy and returned to the castle just as they were entering the panic room."

He felt Anna freeze in his arms and he gently turned her on her back so he could look on her face.

Her eyes were wide in shock, "I didn't realize they made it so far, I thought…"

"I am sorry, beloved. I had hoped you would not have to know this… I failed you."

"What do you mean you failed me? You saved me," she said, her eyes tearing up. "Again. You keep saving me."

Marcus was immediately reminded of the foul human who had abused her, claiming he had saved her and therefore deserved her. He was disgusted at the idea that she may believe she owed him for saving her as he did not want to be associated with anything that had harmed her, nor did he want her to think he did it for any reason other than to ensure she was well and safe and happy.

"It is my duty as your mate to ensure your safety, and, more importantly, it is my honour to do so."

Her heart melted at his words. "I love you," she said, her eyes meeting his easily, for once wearing her heart bravely on her sleeve.

"As I love you," he said, gathering her into his arms and pressing a kiss to her forehead. He purred in contentment. They fit so perfectly together – she was so small and soft in his arms, but their bodies always seemed to respond perfectly to one another, fitting themselves to the other seemingly effortlessly. He did not know how he had ever survived without her.

"I must get you your breakfast soon," he murmured.

"Do we even still have a cook?"

"You will find there is rarely a shortage of funds here, piccola. I know your culture seems to think money cannot buy happiness, but it can buy nearly everything else, including a chef who will not be scared off by a castle siege."

* * *

He had left to get her breakfast only 93 seconds ago. She knew because she had counted. Almost immediately after he left the room, her anxiety and dread had begun building again. However, this time it was not a slow progression as it had in the days he was gone, but a sudden wave that crashed over her, leaving her floundering only to find another wave waiting behind it to knock her over again.

She felt as if she would drown in it without him. She curled herself into a ball and clutched the pillow he had rested on, hugging it to her chest with her arms and legs wrapped around it and her face pressed into it, breathing in his scent. She repeatedly told herself he would be back soon, that he wouldn't leave, that he was just looking after her human needs like a good mate, but it did not help. The emotions had an odd foreign quality. They did not seem to be stemming from her at all, and nothing she did could control them. And yet still they continued to build, crushing her under the weight of them.

She began to weep. She could not fight the fear or sorrow. It was drowning her. It felt as if he would never come back, as if she would die alone and unwanted, abandoned by her mate… her sobs had turned to great body-wracking shudders by the time he returned a minute later.

He froze in horror in the doorway and then ran to her, nearly dropping her breakfast in his haste to get to her. He was on the bed in an instant, holding her to him and stroking her face while staring at her in dread and concern. She clutched him in a vice grip with all her human strength, wrapping both her arms and legs around him in her attempt to get closer and hiding her red, tear-soaked face from his scrutiny against his chest.

"Y-you're b-b-," she let out a great heaving breath and began to sob again, unable to complete her sentence.

"Beloved," his voice sounded pained. "Please, what is wrong? Are you still in pain? Are you injured? Do you need me to find you a doctor?"

She shook her head in jerky movements, still crying against him and soaking his shirt with her tears. He made soothing noises and continued petting her hair, deciding to allow her to ride out the emotional experience so she could tell him what had happened and how he would fix it.

When her sobbing eventually turned to hiccups, she nuzzled her face beneath his chin, clearly still avoiding eye contact but desiring the reassurance of affection. He returned the cuddle, waiting patiently for her to tell him what went so wrong in the two minutes he had been gone.

"I don't know what happened," she whispered. "As soon as you left this… feeling… just came over me. It was like when you were gone except even worse. I was so scared and I started thinking you had left and would never come back."

He sighed, understanding dawning. "This is my fault. I should not have left you. This is merely the effects of the bond strain. I did not think it would cause such an intense reaction so quickly, but I was wrong. We will just have to remain closer until things settle more."

That was definitely okay with her. The last thing she wanted was distance from Marcus. Her instincts, which previously had been overwhelming her with despair and dozens of half-formed fears, were now cooing at her about how attentive he was, how considerate and caring, and what a virile male he was… the last of which made her blush, seeing as she now had firsthand experience to know that it was true. No matter what, she knew she could not be parted from him. The idea of even a door separating them left her shivering anew with anxiety.

"I will never leave you. Even if we are separated, I will always find my way back to you. No matter what. You must trust me on this. I am yours until the day I am ash."

"I know," she whispered and she leaned back to finally look at him. He saw how red and swollen her eyes had become from her tears, the splotches that now coloured her cheeks, and her still trembling lips. He knew she would label herself unsightly, but he could not find her unattractive, even in this. "It's like they weren't even my feelings or thoughts. I could not distract myself or block it out. It was awful."

"It is the compulsion of the bond. They are not truly your feelings and in time you will find it easier to differentiate between your own psyche and our bond, but you still will not be able to completely control its effects."

She grimaced at this knowledge and thought back to all the times she had felt compelled towards trusting him and being close to him, finally understanding what it was that she had found so disturbing. It felt oddly relieving to know now that it was an external source that had been compelling her, as she had thought she was going mad at the time.

Then, wanting to change the subject, a thought occurred to her. "So what was that explosion? Is everyone okay? Was anything damaged?"

"We lost a few of the guard and there is a great deal of damage to the castle, although I have been a bit distracted and do not know the extent of it. We shall likely have to seek out Sulpicia to find out. She will know best."

She blushed and smiled shyly at his mention of his "distraction."

"I think the painkillers have kicked in… maybe I can have that breakfast and then we can go find her?"

He scowled. "It is cold now. I will bring you directly to the kitchen and have something new made."

"Marcus, that's really not necessary-" His darkening scowl made her stop. Clearly this was not something he was going to compromise on. "Alright, I'll just get dressed then."

Once she had used the washroom and done her ablutions – wincing as she wiped the soft toilet paper over her sensitive, bruised flesh between her legs – Marcus led her through an unfamiliar path into what looked like a more human and lived-in part of the castle, passing an office where she was sure she saw a human man talking on a phone. He brought her through a massive dining hall which looked like it could easily seat 100 people and through another elaborate gilded door that led into a kitchen.

It was an immense room, filled with shiny metal appliances and a dark-skinned woman in a white chef's outfit bustling around them and preparing her meal with her young assistant trailing after her like a well-oiled machine. She sat Anna at a small breakfast nook in the far corner that was surrounded by windows and looked out on the snow-covered garden.

Marcus sat across from her and stared at her but seemed to be entirely lost in his own thoughts. She took the time to study him shamelessly. His face was so perfect it made her ache. She couldn't believe such a magnificent man wanted her, had vowed he would never leave her, and had made her feel so much pleasure she felt as if she would implode from it. She was distracted from her embarrassing thoughts when the chef set a beautifully arranged plate of fruit and eggs Benedict in front of her with a smile before departing the kitchen with her scurrying assistance in tow.

Anna scarfed the food down, suddenly feeling famished. She had not eaten much the last few days, having entirely lost her appetite in her pining for him, and now she was feeling the effects of it. Marcus seemed to startle out of his musing when he saw she was finished. "Shall we retire to the library, my darling?"

He did not want to be separated from her in the time it would take to find Aro and Caius and assess any progress they had made on the Romanians, and he would not subject her to the parts of the castle they would likely be found in. Besides, he wanted to give his mate a little bit of normalcy after the trauma of the previous days. And, he grudgingly admitted to himself, he was avoiding the matter in lieu of spending a few more blissful hours with his mate. Did they not deserve some time alone to allow the bond to soothe and settle them?

She smiled happily at his suggestion, affirming it was the right choice. "Yes! It survived unharmed?"

"I believe so. They seemed to target entrances and the route to the bunker to slow us rather than trying to do real damage to the castle infrastructure itself."

She tucked her hand into his arm and they set off but quickly realized that Marcus' deduction that the library was unharmed may have been wrong. Along the way they saw many of the guard repairing walls and ceilings that had crumbled or been damaged in the explosions. They came across Sulpicia closer to the library who was looking sadly at a greenhouse that had once held an astonishing selection of plants. It was empty now but Anna could see where the glass had shattered in places.

She looked up as Anna and Marcus entered and Anna shivered from the chill in the room now that it had been exposed to the outside winter air. Marcus noticed immediately and led her back into the warmth of the castle. Sulpicia followed and closed the door behind her to avoid letting more of the heat escape the castle.

"Our last Silphium plant was destroyed in the wreckage," she said sadly. "These human weapons certainly do cause a great amount of damage. Aro thinks we should leave the castle until the repairs are done – you know how he is about all that noise and commotion. He is trying to persuade me by suggesting we take an extended tour on the Iphigenia... it is going to take a great deal of work and it _will_ be very disruptive… but I do not know if I can leave the repairs to someone else," she worried, not even bothering with any human pleasantries before starting her tirade. "The castle is such an intricate and delicate thing."

Anna was skeptical about those claims, considering it looked like a gothic fortress that could withstand an armed siege – it had just held its own against a siege of vampires after all, but she kept her feelings to herself. Clearly, Sulpicia was devastated by the damages it had sustained.

"What is the extent of the damage?" Marcus inquired.

"The entire great hall has collapsed. There are minor superficial damages through the west wing and the library has sustained itself well, however the integrity of the family wing has been compromised and will need reconstruction. All the entrances have been destroyed as well, and we will need to do extensive remodeling work to repair them."

As sad as it was that the castle was so damaged, Anna was incredibly relieved that the library had survived. Marcus didn't seem to share her relief, however. "Where would the family stay while our wing was being repaired? No other wing is so fortified, aside from the bunker."

Sulpicia's eyes flicked to Anna and she frowned. "I had not thought of that. Dear Anna would need comforts I hadn't considered." She sighed, "I suppose my mate may be right on this."

"We may discuss it tonight. The wing will not collapse within a day."

"If you two didn't collapse it last night, I'm sure there is little we could do in the next day that would do so," Sulpicia said with a sly smirk, her face finally transforming out of the melancholy she had been plagued with and into her more natural carefree demeanor.

Anna blushed so deeply she was sure she must look like a horrified tomato.

Marcus only glared at his sister and led his speechless, mortified mate towards the library so she could spontaneously combust in peace and privacy.

He settled himself into their normal chair and she went on a hunt to find a book she wanted to read. He watched her sorting through the titles, sometimes picking one up and thumbing through the pages before carefully placing it back. Amusement bloomed in him as he saw how she ensured all the spines were perfectly even, as if she didn't want to leave a single thing out of place in this beloved haven of hers. He found these quirks of hers incredibly endearing.

Eventually, she decided to continue the series she had been reading before and picked out Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which she thrust into his hands and shyly asked him to read to her.

He was cajoled into it by her sweet tone and still red-tinged face from her embarrassment and found he could deny her nothing, although he was quite disgruntled when he found out that the author had named Cerberus "Fluffy."

She sat across his lap and listened to his soothing voice reading to her about Harry and Ron crashing the car into the Whomping Willow. Eventually, when he had paused for a moment, she took the opportunity to ask the question that had been plaguing her. "What is the Iphigenia?"

He placed a marker in the book and put it down on the table next to him so he could gather her in his arms and pull her closer to his body. "Iphigenia's Sacrifice is a yacht Aro had built for Sulpicia after he lost a bet."

"What bet?"

He raised a brow, "Are you certain you wish to know the answer to that question?"

Anna grimaced. No, she probably didn't. "And Aro wants us to go on a vacation? Right now? Right after we've been attacked by your enemies?"

"Aro wants to avoid the possibility of Sulpicia forcing his help in the reparations, or the inevitability of her dissatisfaction when it is not perfect in her estimation."

"I guess I see his point… she seems very distressed about the damages."

"She is very attached to the castle, more than any other home we've had. And I believe she is projecting her emotions regarding the attack into her concern for the damage to the infrastructure. We have never been surprised like that before… our mates have not been endangered so precariously since we seized power as the kings of our kind. It is difficult for all of us to process."

Anna frowned and clung harder to him. He held her tighter in return, needing the reassurance as much as she did at the moment.

He pressed his face into her soft hair and murmured, "I will keep you safe, beloved. I promise. No harm shall befall you."

* * *

Aro crouched in front of Stefan, or what was left of him anyways. All his limbs had been removed, along with various other parts that it had delighted Caius to rid him of. He was pieced back together – badly – and it seemed Caius had _forgotten_ some crucial parts in the process, considering the pitiful creature's distorted shape and wheezing every time he tried to suck in a breath.

The misshapen creature looked so wretched Aro could hardly believe it was their previously formidable enemy that had been so far reduced. He looked like a broken man, not just in his body but his countenance as well, and Aro knew he was likely fading. Soon he would be merely a vessel, with his soul having departed.

Could an empty shell even be considered Stefan anymore? If you cut all the parts off his body and replace them with foreign venom enough times, is it truly the same creature he was before? Aro giggled at the thought with the usual artificial joy he reserved for unsettling his enemies.

"Would you like to hear the cause of my amusement, old friend? I was thinking that you are our own ship of Theseus. If we cut you into small enough pieces and rearrange them, are you really still Stefan? Perhaps we should find out!"

The suffering creature in front of him did not respond.

Aro sighed, "Oh do not be so melancholic. You always knew it would come to this. You knew you could not best us. We are invincible, chosen by the gods themselves."

It had been a day since the creature had attempted speech but he rasped now, his voice ruined by their abuse of his throat after Caius had torn it out in his anger at the Romanians' refusal to speak.

"The woman…"

Aro frowned. The woman? Who was he speaking of?

"Grey eyes…"

Grey eyes? They did not know anyone with grey eyes. The closest they had to that were the human eyes of Anna.

"Perhaps you are mistaken. Are you speaking of my brother's mate? Her eyes are green, Stefan dear, and quite lovely too, for a human."

"She told us… your bunker… wants you… dead," the man began hacking from the strain that talking put on his throat and resolved back to silence.

Aro frowned at this. Was Stefan accusing Anna of subterfuge? Surely not. Although he could not read her so the possibility was there… he immediately tramped down his suspicions. No, she was human. She could not trick them. Her heartbeat, breathing and the smell of her emotions would give her away if she tried. And she was hardly ever without the company of either her mate or her sisters. There was no time for her to have informed on them. She did not even know the bunker existed before she was taken to it.

Although that male she was with had had contact with the Romanian brothers, which reignited his suspicions. No, no… he sighed. It is not possible. Just another cruel joke of Fortuna's making. They would have to execute the human staff just to be sure though. They couldn't allow this grey-eyed woman to live if she was giving out their secrets to their enemies.

Although, he paused, he had not seen any such woman in either of their memories, or how they had known of the layout of the castle and the placement of their panic room. It seemed as if the knowledge had just appeared in their minds as if on instinct, and that troubled Aro to no end. And neither brother would speak on _how_ they knew.

Aro stood out of his crouch, disappointment flooding him over his inability to get any more information out of them to answer his pressing questions.

"Well, Stefan, if you are not going to be more helpful than that, I shall leave you in the hands of someone whose time is less valuable than mine. I believe I have just about convinced my wonderful mate to take a secondment so I do not think we shall see one another again. Give my regards to Charon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Silphium: A medicinal plant used by the Ancient Romans that's now extinct. It was possibly used as a contraceptive, as well as for coughs and colds
> 
> Cerberus: Hades' three-headed dog who guards the Underworld
> 
> Charon: The ferryman of Hades who carries souls across the river Styx into the Underworld


	21. Chapter 21

"I would not mind some shopping in Nice, and perhaps Anna would enjoy seeing Majorca. Oh, and we must visit Valencia! You will love the Cathedral and the Silk Exchange! I hear the human food is also quite good," Dora told Anna later that evening when the family had congregated in Sulpicia's sitting room, discussing whether they should stay in Italy or vacate to another residence to avoid the inconvenience of the repairs.

"I've never been to Spain but it sounds lovely," Anna responded shyly. "I'm quite happy to do whatever everyone else decides, though."

Marcus purred and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to his side. "It will be easier to keep you protected if you are kept close to our family and the guard, and it will be more comfortable aboard the ship than the castle will be during the construction. I support this decision, or we may retire to the Tunis residence if that is preferred."

Sulpicia wrinkled her nose, "It is too dusty and I do not enjoy the flavour of their bl-"

She stopped her sentence abruptly as she realized what she had said, but Anna had already caught it. She suppressed a shiver and tried to pretend like she hadn't understood Sulpicia's meaning.

Changing the subject quickly, she raised a brow playfully at Marcus and teased, "You call me the traitor for reading the episode of Perseus in the Metamorphoses, and yet you have a Carthaginian residence?"

Marcus had been glaring at Sulpicia, however he snapped out of it and immediately responded to her slightly forced gaiety, "It was a very important city in the early Roman Empire. Of course we kept a residence there."

"Yes, yes, we know. You're both very funny," interrupted Dora. "I agree with Sulpicia, I would greatly prefer to stick to the Northern coast."

"I will concede on this decision as well," Caius said disinterestedly. "Although with current wars going on in that area, it may be easier-"

"That is _not_ an appropriate topic of conversation," Marcus snarled.

"The Northern coast, then," Caius said, ignoring his brother's tone and sounding incredibly bored of the topic.

"It is settled then!" Aro clapped his hands together with joy. "I shall send some of the guard immediately to begin preparing her for a voyage! I hope you all will be ready in two days or I shall leave you with the lower guard doing the repairs and my mate will hold you personally responsible for ensuring the great hall is reconstructed to her liking."

* * *

Over the next two days, Dora and Sulpicia seemed much more interested in building her a vacation wardrobe, rather than worrying over their own packing. They were currently arguing over the proper temperature where Anna could be comfortable without a sweater and whether they should pack a baby soft heather grey Merino wool cardigan or a thick knitted charcoal grey one with cabling down the back of it. It didn't seem to occur to either of them to ask Anna her opinion on the matter, but rather than offending her, she found the whole spectacle quite amusing.

If she got cold, she'd just take Marcus' jacket, as he was always wearing one with his formal fitted suits… she might do that anyways, just because she loved how he looked when he dressed more casually. And, she admitted with embarrassment, she loved the smell of him and how right it felt to wear something that was his, as if she was advertising that she was his mate. It made the bond settle sweetly in her chest, as if she had satisfied its demands by reminding everyone else of who she belonged to.

She hoped one of them had packed for him as well, as she was sure they would omit the regal billowing robes. They may even get him into some genuinely casual dress! She shivered at the thought of him in that t-shirt at Christmas and imagined him in one, glowing in the sun on the deck of a boat. With a flash of disappointment, she knew it would not be that casual, though. Anna saw that even in their approximation, vacation casual didn't constitute shorts and t-shirts. The bed was filled with lovely wrap dresses and sundresses, wide legged trousers in bold prints, and linen shirts.

She looked down at her watch. Marcus had said they were leaving just before noon and it was 11:15 now… well, at least she wouldn't have to listen to the debate over normal human body temperature fluctuations much longer. She was worried that if they didn't start actually putting the clothes in a bag she would end up going with only the selection of bikinis she had lost the argument for that were already packed away neatly in the set of Louis Vuitton luggage on the floor.

Thankfully she had convinced Sulpicia to include at least one one-piece bathing suit in the packing – however even that one was still cut too high in the back for her comfort. Anna was adamant she was not going to remove the cover up from over it if she had any say in it, no matter how much the sisters cajoled her. She had no interest in anyone but Marcus having such a view of her backside.

Wanting to hurry up the proceedings, she looked to the beautiful bickering immortals, "So should I start packing the things on the bed or-"

"You will sit," Dora commanded, pointing at her to stay in the chair before the fire as if she were a naughty child. "We will pack them and you will read your book like Marcus told you to do."

Anna huffed. Before he left less than an hour before to meet with some minister of something, her mate had instructed her to relax and most of all to _not worry,_ as he knew was often her custom when there was change in their routine. She was already on edge enough because of the strange vampires flitting in and out of the family wing while they measured and analyzed the damage, and from Marcus' conspicuous absence.

He finally returned a few minutes later and raised a brow at the empty suitcases. He gave the sisters a pointed look, reminding them of their time constraints, before joining Anna on her chair and settling her in his lap. "Are you ready to depart, beloved?"

"I don't know, you should ask them. Apparently I've been put on a time-out."

He chuckled and nuzzled her neck, making her nervously look over at Dora and Sulpicia to make sure they were adequately distracted and wouldn't notice the small display of public affection.

"You should use the washroom and change into comfortable clothing for the journey," he told her.

"Are we traveling far?"

"It is a few hours' drive to the port we are going to."

She grumbled but got off his lap and ventured toward the bathroom. He gave her bottom a small swat as she went, which stopped her in her tracks as she looked back at him incredulously. He only raised one perfect brow and nodded towards the bathroom again. She huffed and closed the door, grumbling about presumptuous mates.

* * *

Marcus and Anna were sitting in the back of another black Land Rover, with Anna sitting securely in his lap and his arms wrapped around her. Sulpicia was seated beside them, poking through what looked like an engineering textbook and grumbling every few minutes before sending a text message to someone. It took Anna a few minutes to realize she was likely trying to micromanage the castle's repairs from their vacation. Aro was in the front seat speaking in smooth, rapid Italian to someone on the phone while Demetri was driving.

They were practically in their own convoy, with multiple sleek black SUVs in front of them and behind them carrying their luggage and the contingent of the guard that was accompanying them. After a few hours of driving, however, the novelty and excitement had worn off and Anna had grown incredibly bored. Sulpicia was still reading the textbook and had brought a notebook where she was making massive, complex calculations and Aro had not gotten off the phone once on the entire drive. Marcus seemed content to merely hold her and stare ahead, apparently lost in his own thoughts.

She watched his face as she twisted herself around to root around in his pocket. His eyes turned to her inquisitively until she found his phone and brought it out, silently asking his permission. He nodded slightly, clutching her tighter before staring off into space again.

She knew she had her own phone, however it had been packed away in one of the bags somewhere along with her computer, and she preferred using his anyways. She didn't know why, but it felt right to share things with him and she had decided to stop arguing with what the bond demanded.

She opened the internet application and began browsing the news, losing herself in the happenings of the outside world. She had been so isolated for the past year, it was relieving to be aware of what was going on around her. She felt a wave of warmth for Marcus, feeling incredibly grateful that he had found and saved her and given her this beautiful life. She snuggled closer to him and relaxed further into his embrace.

The first thing that caught her eye was a story about a small town in Serbia that had been destroyed in a fire with no survivors. She frowned slightly, and it only deepened as she read through the article. There were many speculations of who may have been responsible for this, considering the country's recent civil war, but none of them had claimed it and so far, there were no leads. She felt a wave of sadness go through her at the senseless violence of it all.

Bombing hospitals full of sick people, massacring entire villages… where did it stop? She knew Marcus fed off people, but their family seemed so civilized, so compassionate. It was the humans that seemed to be committing these atrocities. Besides, how could she blame her mate for doing what he must to survive? She did not know that she could ever feed off humans, but she didn't know how strong her will to live may be either, or what she may do if she or her mate were threatened. She shut off the phone and put it back into Marcus' pocket, wrapping her arms around him tightly and banishing the conflicting thoughts.

After another half hour, the highway opened up to a great expanse of the Mediterranean on her left side and Anna suddenly sat up straight, releasing Marcus and staring at the sight in awe. She had been to the ocean once before when she was a child, but she couldn't remember it looking anything like this. That beach had been grey and gravelly and the water had been dark, cold, and rough.

The water here was tranquil and a beautiful clear blue. It had also become warmer as they had left the mountain the castle was built on and traveled further south. There was no snow here and Anna didn't think she would even need the heavy winter jacket outside. It was overcast, which she knew was good because it meant the vampires could go outside without attracting attention, but she suddenly longed to feel the warmth of the sun on her skin.

She felt her excitement growing again and she was reminded of a time when she had first met Marcus and she had felt horrified at the idea of going outside into the world. Now she felt only excitement for the places her mate would bring her. He squeezed her waist gently and she looked to his face to see him smiling warmly at her, apparently pleased by her reaction.

When they finally reached the marina where Iphigenia's Sacrifice was moored, Anna was barely restraining herself from bouncing on Marcus' lap in excitement. There were a few docks with reasonably sized sailboats and motorboats docked at them, but something further out at sea caught her eye. What appeared to be a small cruise ship was anchored offshore.

"Aro does not do anything by halves," Marcus said dryly as he noticed what had drawn her attention. "He could not merely have a small keep, he needed a fortress. Likewise, he could not have built Sulpicia a modest sailboat, he needed to build the largest privately owned watercraft in the world."

Anna stared at it in shock. The ship had to be at least 400 feet long, all sleek white lines with four storeys that she could see. There were multiple decks on it as well, and she thought she saw the glistening water of a swimming pool on one of them.

"It is the second largest now," Aro said, coming up behind them and sounding thoroughly disgruntled. "Some Arab sheikh built a larger one last year."

Sulpicia soothed him with a hand on his arm, "But his boat does not have its own submarine, my love."

Anna blinked a few times in shock. She was distracted from her contemplation of why on earth they would need a submarine by Dora and Caius emerging from a sleek black convertible that had just screeched to a halt, apparently bickering about something in Latin. Finally, Dora huffed in exasperation and stormed away, pointedly ignoring him as she joined the rest of the family.

"I hope your drive was better than mine," she complained. "He put the top down because he wanted to enjoy the air! Look at the state of my hair!"

It was perhaps slightly more voluminous than usual, but Anna did not see anything terribly wrong with it. She didn't say anything, but Sulpicia clucked sympathetically.

"We are going on a boat, your hair is going to be ruined anyways," the blonde male snarled from behind them.

Dora let out a threatening growl at him that sent a shiver down Anna's spine and stalked away again, moving to stand closer to the water where a few of the guard were preparing a large motorboat to taxi them to the yacht.

One of the robed figures gracefully jumped onto the dock and bowed her head respectfully before the Volturi. "The boat is ready to depart now."

"Very good," Aro said cheerily, completely ignoring his two sullen siblings as he climbed on board and helped Sulpicia with a guiding hand. Marcus looked at Anna, seeming to be measuring her up, and then carefully picked her up and cradled her against his body as he simultaneously gracefully leaped onto the vessel.

She squeaked in surprise and clutched him as she felt the wind rushing around her and the jolt as he smoothly landed on the deck. "I could have gotten on myself!"

He brought her to a small seated area under a canvas and settled in a seat with her still in his lap. He began running a hand soothingly across her back, "Beloved, your balance is not ideal even when we are on land. I do not wish to start this vacation by fishing you out of the water."

Anna wanted to grumble more but she had to admit that he did have a point so she settled into his embrace. She could see Dora and Caius arguing again from the shore. Caius seemed to lose his temper as he hoisted her up unceremoniously, tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and jumped on the boat, landing with a heavy thump that didn't look nearly as graceful as Marcus' had.

"Let's go," he said, ignoring Dora's screaming, which seemed to reach a decibel at the rough manhandling.

Marcus sighed and rolled his eyes as if this was normal behaviour for them and Anna looked at him with slight concern. "They do this every trip. They will be better tomorrow, do not worry," he assured her.

Anna looked back at the screeching Dora, still held securely over her mate's shoulder. Aro and Sulpicia seemed to be ignoring them as well, although Anna saw a few heads turn from the shore.

She was distracted from the spectacle when Demetri started the boat and backed it out of the dock, and then they were speeding towards the massive yacht in the distance.

As they grew closer, Anna realized that "massive" didn't even cover it. It was monstrous. She could see people bustling about on the decks and preparing them for departure as Demetri maneuvered the motorboat to the stern and docked it at the yacht's own boat launch. With Marcus still carrying her, they disembarked and she looked in awe as he carried her up a flight of stairs and onto a massive pool deck. It seemed outrageously extravagant to Anna, considering they were literally surrounded by the beautiful blue water of the Mediterranean.

She saw Caius carrying Dora up a flight of stairs and into a large cabin with double doors that overlooked the pool before slamming the door. She heard snarling and thrashing, the sound of glass breaking, and then what sounded like two boulders knocking together. There was more growling and angry voices and then a rhythmic grinding sound.

"You don't want to know, piccola," Marcus told her as he saw her confusion and concern. He had a slightly mischievous look on his face as he led her away and her own face began to heat up as it dawned on her what Dora and Caius' argument had culminated in.

"It is their conflict resolution," he explained as he led her through another set of double doors that led directly from the pool deck into a beautiful sitting room, which blessedly blocked out the noises coming from Dora and Caius' cabin. It had a large screen TV on one wall, bordered by large bay windows, and an entire wall of windows on the opposite side with a beautiful view of the ocean. There were large white couches with a selection of throw pillows in teal and coral surrounding the TV and there was another hallway opposite the door they had just entered.

"Are you hungry, beloved? Shall I have your dinner sent for? Or would you prefer I show you our room so you may rest first?" His thoughtful consideration shocked her out of her awe.

"Maybe I can rest a bit before dinner?" She was certainly feeling weary and sore from the car ride, not to mention her mortification at the knowledge of what Dora and Caius were doing.

"Of course," he said as he looked behind him and nodded to one of the guard before leading her down the hallway. There was a small step up onto it and he led her through the spacious hall lined with a few doors before he reached a grand staircase.

"Our room is to the right. The left staircase leads up to Aro and Sulpicia's suite. They have the penthouse floor," he explained as he ushered her up the shiny dark wood stairs, which had a teal carpet running down its centre. When they reached their landing, Marcus opened an opulent set of matching dark doors, leaving her speechless once more.

Three of their suite's walls were windows which were jutting out from the bow of the ship and making Anna feel as if she were soaring over the water. There was a set of doors leading to a large balcony where she could see a small table and lounging chairs set out.

To the right of the door they had just entered sat a massive bed and another set of massive, dark wood double doors on the other side of it, which Anna assumed led to the bathroom. A small sitting area was overlooking the view of the windows and she could easily imagine herself lounging on them with Marcus and watching the sunset.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, overwhelmed by the grandeur of it all.

"I'm sure they will be glad you think so, my darling," Marcus said dotingly, leading her to the luxurious bed which was covered by a softly shiny white duvet, reminding Anna of the way the sun looked glinting over water.

"Rest now, I will fetch your dinner when it is ready."

She climbed on the mattress and practically sank into it, moaning in delight. "I never want to leave this place."

He chuckled softly and, to her delight, shrugged out of his shirt before crawling into the bed behind her. "Wait until you see the palace in Portugal before making such decisions."

"After seeing how Caius and Dora christen their vacations, I'm not so sure I want to."

She felt his laughter more than she heard it and he turned her on her side so he could spoon behind her. "Rest, beloved. Your dinner will be ready soon."

She obeyed, easily finding a peaceful doze.

* * *

Anna awoke in their large cabin the next morning to the gentle rocking of the boat and Marcus' erection pressed against her. He nuzzled her hair gently, letting her know he knew she was awake, and she felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. She luxuriated in the moment, trying and failing to remember a time when she was ever this happy.

While she had slept, they had started the engines and pulled away from shore so there was nothing before her but the beautiful blue horizon, which she could see easily from the bed. Between that, and Marcus' arms around her, and the promise of pleasure from him rocking against her, Anna knew it didn't get much better than this.

His hand came up to cup her breast and tease the nipple through the thin fabric of her shirt, causing her to whimper at the feeling. She ground her ass into his erection, eliciting a growl from him.

When she was fully awake, she turned around in his arms to face him, throwing one leg over his hip as she did so to press her pelvis against his and seek the friction of him against her warming centre.

"Good morning," she whispered bashfully and smiled. She was still slightly shy about what they were doing, but her nervousness was quickly overcome by her arousal from feeling the state he was in.

He leaned down to kiss her as he bucked his erection between her legs, purring as he anticipated the pleasures to come. He knew he would need to be careful still, to ensure he did not hurt her as much as their first time… he would be as gentle as she needed, as long as she permitted him within her silky, wet warmth that was smelling so delectable as her desire grew.

Her hair was coming out of the braid she had placed it in to sleep and he loved the sight of the softly curling strands framing her sleepy, flushed face. Her cheeks were pink and rosy from her arousal and her eyes still had a hazy quality to them from her slumber. He could see her love for him in those eyes and it made him want to bury himself inside her even more, to show her the extent of his love in response.

He flipped her on her back and pressed himself harder against her centre, purring as he did so. She practically convulsed around him, clutching his neck like a lifeline and a strangled moan escaped her lips. The vibration of the purr went straight from his cock against her clit and intensity of the pleasure it produced felt as if she was shocked by a volt of electricity.

"Oh my god Marcus," she moaned. "Please don't stop."

She hooked her legs around his hips and used the leverage to press her centre harder against him, seeking out more of the stimulation that was swiftly driving her to an unexpectedly close climax. He purred even harder when he understood what had driven her so mad with ecstasy, offering her more of the stimulation. He attacked her neck, sucking at the pulse point and lightly grazing her teeth over her sensitized flesh.

His hand reached under her shirt to pluck at her hardened, straining nipples and that was all it took to send her careening into her release. The first contraction that ripped through her left her shuddering with the intensity before more followed, seizing her in a vice grip until she could only gasp and squeeze her eyes shut as she rode out the crashing waves.

She whimpered when it went on longer than usual and tried to scoot her hips back to avoid the overpowering stimulation that had not yet peaked. Marcus, staring at her hungrily with black eyes, pressed his erection against her retreating form, not granting her the reprieve she sought and forcing her to accept the pleasure that was beginning to border on pain. She felt the second orgasm building from the first as everything in her tightened even further and her eyes flicked open with fear at the intensity.

"Marcus," she gasped. "Please!"

She was babbling, unsure of what she was even saying, and felt as if she was going mad from the feeling of the second release that was growing within her. He began to rock his hips, dragging his cock over the entire length of her sex, offering the extra stimulation she needed to push her over the edge. The second orgasm shuddered through her, feeling more of an electric current that rushed through her body rather than the desperate gripping of her sex that usually occurred during her release. Sometime later when it had finally weakened in its intensity, Marcus took mercy on her and relinquished her, allowing her to catch her breath and still her trembling body.

He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so she was collapsed bonelessly on his chest. After a minute, she recovered enough to strain her neck to seek a kiss, which he granted to her still slightly parted and swollen lips. It was sweet and loving and she pressed herself harder against his stone-hard lips, slightly warmed from her own heat.

When they broke apart he used his hands to guide her hips over the erection still straining in his pants, reminding her of the pleasures still yet to come. She closed her eyes in delight as she felt the head of him nudge her entrance through the drenched fabric of her panties.

She sat up straight to tear her shirt off and watched him do the same, not bothering to unbutton it but merely ripping it from his body and throwing the shreds of it aside. She stared hungrily at his chest and ran her hands down the hard perfection of him before reaching his waistband.

She fumbled with the fastening of his pants and he gently brushed her hands aside, doing it for her and quickly divesting himself of the garment. Now there was only the thin fabric of her panties separating them and she trembled with anticipation. She felt him pulsing against her, nudging her and driving her mad with longing to feel the hardness of him pressing into her once more, making her feel as if she would burst from the fullness of it.

Suddenly, there was a thump above them as if someone had dropped something on the floor and she froze, staring up at the ceiling and then back down at her black-eyed mate, who looked aroused beyond sense.

"Ignore it," he commanded. But she was already growing anxious.

"Can they hear us?" Her whisper was frantic and useless. Of course they could hear them. They were all vampires with superhuman senses and, while this boat was very large and well-made, it didn't have nearly enough soundproofing to muffle what they were doing.

"Pay it no mind, beloved," he said and rolled his erection against her centre again. He groaned when he realized it made no difference. She had been torn out of the frenzy of arousal and there was no getting her back now. She scrambled off him and he sighed in resignation. So much for that delightful start to the morning.

She was mortified. Let alone the rest of the family, the guard had likely heard!

"I can never look at any of them in the eye ever again," she groaned.

He sighed and rolled on his side to look at her. She was staring up at the ceiling, a stricken look on her face and he reached out a hand to gently stroke down one arm. "Your feelings toward sexuality are influenced by the culture in which you were born, your young age, and your relative inexperience. For my family, there is no such shame and you are only harming yourself with these feelings."

Her eyes flicked to the side to look at him and then back at the ceiling, blushing still. "I don't like the thought of anyone seeing or hearing me like… that… except you," she whispered, unable to look at him with her admission.

"While that inclination pleases me immeasurably, because I am a very possessive man and I do not wish to share you with anyone, I would prefer if it did not impede on my ability to be inside you when you are so clearly aching for it."

Her blush deepened at his coarse words, and yet she felt the tendrils of arousal building again. "Marcus!" She scolded him, trying to keep her voice harsh but unable to stop the giggling that bubbled out of her.

He grinned at her predatorily, inhaling the sweet scent again. He snatched her suddenly, clutching her to him and making her giggle and squeak in surprise.

"Marcus stop!" She screamed as he started tickling her, squeezing her waist and reaching to lightly brush his fingers behind her knee. She tried to squirm out of his grasp, giggling hysterically and trying unsuccessfully to shove his hands away.

"Stop! Please! I have to pee," she cried out frantically.

His purring stuttered slightly as he laughed before he gave her waist one last squeeze and released her. He had achieved his goal, at least, and shocked her out of her brooding mood and brought a smile to her face.

"That was mean," she panted and looked over her shoulder at him before huffing and hauling herself out of the bed toward the bathroom. She grabbed his shirt from where he had draped it over the chair the evening before and swiftly pulled it over her head to satisfy her modesty. When she emerged, he was still sprawled across the massive bed, totally naked and still partially erect.

She averted her eyes and blushed heavily. He purred.

"Do you see something you like, beloved," he teased.

She huffed, flustered by his behavior and his nudity and averted her eyes.

"We will be aboard for many weeks…eventually you will succumb," he promised, purring, and she knew she wasn't imagining a hint of a threat to it. His predatory nature sent a bolt of pleasure straight to her centre, making her even more flustered. He wasn't going to play fair and they both knew it. She shivered in anticipation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sooo does anyone else have a sudden need for a Marcus-sized vibrator? Sorry this chapter wasn't super plot-y but it just wouldn't leave my head until I'd written it down.
> 
> On a more serious note, as you all may have noticed from the gratuitous history references in this fic, I'm a history major – specifically Classical Civilization (and more specifically, early Imperial Rome). I know I put a lot of random details/words/references in here that people who aren't history majors might not get and I was wondering whether you all would be interested in some sort of glossary at the end of each chapter?
> 
> For example, I named the yacht Iphigenia's Sacrifice because Iphigenia was the daughter of Agamemnon in the Trojan War cycle. She was sacrificed to Artemis so the Greeks could set sail to Troy to go to war and that seemed like a great name for a boat in my nerdy little brain, haha.
> 
> And Carthage is a city located in present-day Tunisia, which was a classic enemy of Rome in the Republican period and later became an important city in the Empire after Rome had conquered/colonized it. Hannibal, the guy with the elephants, was Carthaginian.
> 
> Anyways, leave a comment to let me know if you would be interested or find that helpful! And I hope you all have a great long weekend!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Happy Easter! To celebrate the holiday, we're getting two (decidedly unholy) chapters this week, and this one is the longest so far (5600 words!) It seems somehow fitting to honour this holiday since I wouldn't be surprised if the Volturi had a hand in the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. I mean really, three days is also how long it takes, on average, for a vampire to change… coincidence? I think not.
> 
> Anyways, in all seriousness, happy easter to any Christian followers! I hope you all had a good long weekend! I feel like copious amounts of chocolate would be paired well with our exceptionally naked and predatory Marcus today... mea culpa.

Marcus rose from the bed and stalked toward her, still naked and erect and utterly unashamed. She backed away from him until she hit a wall and her breath caught.

He leaned in closer and she flattened herself against the wall, avoiding the massive erection that was jutting out from his body as she staring up at his predatory gaze. She felt him press his cock against her belly and had to strain her neck to see him at this angle.

"Be careful, little mate," his voice was a predatory warning rumble.

And then he was gone, having disappeared in the split second it took her to blink. She shivered from his absence, her senses in overdrive.

He was back a moment later, standing a few feet away from her and fully dressed in a pair of navy blue trousers and a matching blazer, a white form-fitting button-down top, and brown loafers. She gawked at him, amazed that he could somehow be any more attractive than he usually was in his black suit and robes. She could feel her arousal rekindling deep in her belly.

He looked smug at her reaction, "You had best put some clothes on or it may be taken as invitation."

She looked down and realized she was still wearing only his oversized shirt. It fell to her mid-thigh but she hadn't buttoned it up all the way. The neck was too wide and it was falling off her shoulder, revealing a large portion of her left breast.

She blushed deeply and hastily readjusted it before going to the closet that was attached to the bathroom and finding some clothes. She settled on a wrap dress with a bold navy and fuchsia floral pattern on it, unconsciously matching herself to her mate.

Marcus noted her choice as soon as she emerged but said nothing and felt his smugness swell. He fetched a cardigan for her from the closet and folded it over his own arm in case she became chilled, then led her out of their suite. He ushered her down the stairs but rather than going down the hall to the part of the yacht she had seen the day before, he led her down a different hall towards the front of the ship.

After a minute of walking, the hall opened up into a massive sunroom which led out onto a smaller deck. The room was filled with lush plants drenched in warm light and she saw Marcus had arranged a small seated area outside where her breakfast was waiting. Her breath caught as she looked out over the beautiful water surrounding the ship and the bow cutting through the waves.

He opened a sliding door that blended into the rest of the windows of the sunroom and sat her in the chair that offered her the best view, folding a napkin across her lap before taking his seat across from her. There was a fruit salad filled with exotic fruits in front of her and a selection of cold meats and cheeses, which she nibbled absentmindedly. There was nothing she could see in any direction except a clear expanse of crystal blue and the entrancing glow of his skin that kept catching her eye. Once she was finished eating, she left the napkin on the table and went to the railing to inhale the salty, crisp air. She leaned over, trying to get a better view of the water beneath them.

She felt Marcus come up behind her and place a steadying hand on her waist while the other came to rest against her tummy, pulling her closer to him to ensure she didn't fall overboard. She felt him press his hardening erection against her and she looked over her shoulder at him to give him a scolding look.

His response was smouldering, his eyes seeming to shamelessly tell her exactly what he wanted to do to her. She shivered, although not from the air or ocean spray rushing against her face.

"Marcus…" she said breathlessly.

"Beloved," he responded, trailing the hand that was on her belly to cup one breast.

She looked around to ensure there was no one nearby and then pressed her hips back against him while arching her back to thrust her breast more firmly into his hand. He groaned at the contact and swiftly turned her around so her back was against the rail. His hands moved to clutch her bottom, pulling her against him while his lips attacked her mouth with a ferocity that left Anna with no doubts about the intensity of his desire.

When they broke apart her chest was heaving with each breath and he was trailing open-mouthed kisses down the side of her neck as his hands began to massage the soft flesh of her bottom. His hands dipped lower and she moaned.

"Marcus, please, we're in public," despite her words, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to the skin of her décolleté.

He growled at her words and hoisted her against him, pulling her dress up to connect her centre with his erection. She wrapped her legs around his waist, resting her bottom against the rail and feeling the open air behind her. She felt a thrill of fear as she realized him holding her was the only thing keeping her from dropping a hundred feet into the water below and she clutched him harder.

The sound of laughter somewhere above them made Anna freeze and Marcus snarled out what sounded like a curse. His lips paused where they were kissing across the neck of her dress and his hands tightened against her for a minute as if he was debating not letting her go.

"Marcus! Put me down," Anna hissed, her face bright red with embarrassment, horrified by her own behaviour. Anyone could have seen them and her dress was fully pulled up to her waist! Her desire overwhelmed her so thoroughly she hardly even gave things like propriety second thought.

"I can smell how much you want me," he growled.

"It's not about how much I want you," she said with a fierce blush, straining weakly against him, but very aware she was still suspended over the railing. He looked at her with his eyes darkened, apparently enjoying her light struggle mixed with the smell of her arousal.

"No one will hear us. They are all preoccupied with their own pursuits," he heard her breath catch as his hand brushed over her thigh and she yanked it away, warily avoiding him like cornered prey. Her arousal was still scenting the air around them and he inhaled it deeply and greedily while rocking against her centre.

"But still…" she said, her eyes were glazed over and he could tell her usually quick mind was becoming hazy from it as well. He purred, sensing his victory was near.

"Still?" He prompted, gently tracing one hand from her hip to her breast. He felt a slight shudder go through her, but then she seemed so sober as she whimpered and tensed. He removed his hand and sighed, knowing he had lost her once again.

"I still don't like it," she said and her eyes looked at him so beseechingly that he groaned and obeyed, carefully placing her back on the ground and pulling her dress down for her. He made sure she was steady on her feet before releasing her completely and taking a step back.

His hands were clenched and his eyes were totally black, watching her like she was prey and he was starving. He ran a hand down his face and seemed to try to collect himself.

She could see the huge bulge in the front of his pants and she shivered with both embarrassment and desire. She didn't look away from the bulge until he growled again, low and threatening, and she tore her eyes away to look at his face.

He had to call on every bit of discipline and restraint he had acquired over his long life when he saw his mate staring at his cock while still smelling so strongly of desire. He was barely controlling himself from tearing off their clothes and offering her a better view. At his growl she immediately looked at his face, her cheeks reddening further at being caught staring at him so obscenely.

Her pupils were blown wide, her face flushed, her lips red and swollen… his kisses had tugged the neck of her dress down further so he saw a large expanse of her full, round breasts that were heaving with every breath, and her creamy white skin that nearly glowed in the soft morning sunlight.

"You are playing a dangerous game," he told her, his voice low with arousal.

She bit her lip and looked at him with a heady combination of arousal and anxiety that went straight to his groin.

"Come, I do not trust myself to be alone with you," he offered her his arm and willed his cock to soften.

He led her back to the pool where Athenodora and Caius were sharing a lounging chair, finally having descended back into their usual affectionate calm. He hoped in a few millennia they would mature enough to stop having their little tantrums when the bond was strained, although considering his own lapses lately, he wasn't sure he could fully blame them.

Dora looked knowingly at them with a smirk on their face. He could see she was about to say something that would likely further embarrass his mate but his quelling look stopped her.

"How are you enjoying the trip so far, Anna?" she asked instead as Marcus sat her on a reclining chair under an umbrella to protect her from the sun. He sat on the chair beside her with a small table between them, not trusting himself to seat her on his lap the way his brother and sister were doing if she was not going to be receptive to his advances.

"It's so beautiful here! I've never seen so much water before! I never want to leave," she said with a wistful smile.

From her easy, wide smile Marcus could see how much joy this trip brought her and he found himself idly planning to build her a boat of her own – one his siblings weren't invited on so she wouldn't fuss every time he tried to touch her.

"Oh! We should visit Skiathos! It has the most beautiful clear water and sandy beaches for miles. Marcus had a villa around there, did you not?"

He raised a brow. "Approximately 1250 years ago I did, yes."

She frowned, "Ah yes I suppose it's been a while… well, we'll just have to buy something then! You'll love it."

"O-oh-"

Before Anna could say anything, Dora had moved on, speaking to Caius in rapid Latin. Anna watched as he stroked a hand down his mate's hip absentmindedly and she blushed at the casual affection they shared.

"Do you swim, piccola?" Marcus directed her attention away from their antics and back towards himself.

She laughed, "If you can call it that. I can keep myself above water but I won't be winning any medals for it. I took swimming lessons as a kid but I think I was too uncoordinated for it."

"I will ensure you do not get in the water alone then. I do not wish to have to resuscitate you on our vacation," he teased.

She blushed. It felt so strange to be looking at him across the table between them when she was so used to sitting on his lap, and now she missed the contact. She got up and walked toward him, silently asking permission.

His eyes darkened but he opened his arms for her to settle herself on his lap, unable to deny her anything. She relaxed in his arms, adjusting her skirt to cover her legs, before she froze when she realized he was still hard. Her hip was pressed against him and her wiggling as she got herself comfortable was not helping matters.

His arms clutched her to his body so she couldn't shift away from him and he leaned down to kiss her possessively. She looked up at him, sure she looked like a deer in the headlights, but stayed seated where she was.

A moment later Aro and Sulpicia emerged, practically joined at the hip their limbs were so intertwined and Anna got the sinking feeling that this vacation was going to turn significantly more amorous than she had anticipated. And she was stuck on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea with a bunch of immortals who were acting like horny teenagers. She nearly groaned.

"We will reach Genoa tomorrow where we will make a quick stop, as I need to meet with some members of a board," he sounded quite disgruntled about it.

This announcement turned into Caius interrogating him on some new business venture they were investing in, andeventually Anna tuned out their conversation about some fiscal policy. She was only shocked out of her contemplation of the water when Marcus joined the conversation, similarly speaking in Latin and apparently disagreeing with both of them and eventually it descended into all three of them speaking rapid Latin on top of each other with Sulpicia adding her own comment occasionally. The constant droning turned into background noise and Anna refocussed on her lovely view of the sea.

* * *

She had just finished her breakfast and was lounging in the large main sitting room, reading a book snuggled into Marcus' side, when she looked up and realized they were nearing land. Instead of a vast field of blue, through the windows, she could see a dark coastline was emerging in the distance.

"Are we nearing Genoa?"

"We should be there within the hour," her mate told her, stroking a hand through her hair and seeming lost in thought.

"How long do you think Aro will take?"

"Likely a few hours," he said absentmindedly, still staring off into space.

They were interrupted when Athenodora and Caius, still apparently fused together, entered the room and arranged themselves on one of the couches, with Dora casually sprawled across Caius' lap. The usually stern man didn't seem at all upset by the arrangement.

"We've decided to accompany Aro to Genoa. I want to go to a few shops while I have the opportunity to find some new outfits for the trip," Dora announced, absentmindedly toying with her mate's hair.

Anna looked up in surprise and smiled at Dora. "That sounds like fun!"

"It will be! Would you like to join us?"

"Sure-"

She was cut off as Marcus immediately spoke over her in an authoritative tone, "No, Anna and I will remain here."

Anna glanced at him in surprise and his darkening look told her he wouldn't accept disagreements on this. She blushed but didn't argue. "I guess not then…"

Dora and Caius seemed to lose themselves in their own world then and were later joined by Aro and Sulpicia who were similarly inseparable on their own couch. Anna watched the land in the distance slowly grow larger. As they grew closer, she felt the air grow more tense with Marcus' anticipation and she knew the family noticed as well. Even worse, they all seemed quite amused by it, which made her even more embarrassed.

The mortification, tension, and anticipation all blended together to create a needy ache within her, which she tried to ignore as she knew the entire family would smell it if she became aroused.

Finally, what felt like hours later, the family and a large contingent of the guard departed the boat, with Dora saucily telling Marcus to try not to break anything, and then Anna was left alone with her tense mate. She stood up, suddenly unable to bear the tension, and backed away from his predatory gaze, "Marcus…"

He purred threateningly, standing as well and stalking her across the sitting room like an overgrown jungle cat. "We are alone, beloved. There is no one here but us. No one can hear you," the way he said it made it sound both reassuring and threatening

Her back hit a wall and she gasped. She began inching along it toward the hall that led to their bedroom and felt a dark thrill at being stalked like this. Both her anxiety and arousal spiked, as it had earlier in the day when he pressed her against the railing. And she knew he could smell it. She saw him inhale deeply and then grin at her, completely feral.

She felt the door to her right and backed through it, however in her thrill for this new game, she had stopped thinking. Her foot caught on the step in the hallway and suddenly she was falling backwards. Before she could hit the floor, Marcus had caught her in his arms, his face mere inches from hers, and her breath caught.

From this proximity, she could see the aching perfection of his features and his thrilling, otherworldly, obsidian eyes that seemed to constantly minutely shift with the varying shades of grey and pitch black, as if hypnotizing her.

"Be careful, little mate," he purred his warning darkly. She could smell the sweetness of his own breath drifting across her face as he spoke and she shivered. She felt her body respond and everything between her legs tightened.

Before she could see him move, she was righted again and her front was pushed into the wall with his erection pressed against her. Because of their difference in height, it was pressed against her back rather than nestled between her ass where he often ground it into her when they were in bed. She squirmed shamelessly at the knowledge that he was clearly enjoying their game and he pressed her harder against the wall so she couldn't move.

"You cannot fight me," he growled threateningly, although from his light caress of her wrist with one hand she was reassured that this was still merely a game.

"I'm not," she gasped and trembled, baring her neck for him in submission. He pressed his face into it, inhaling deeply as he rolled his cock against her.

As quickly as he had been there, suddenly he was gone. She paused for a minute, startled by his lack of contact, before backing up and looking around with confusion. Marcus was nowhere to be seen but a shiver went down her spine that told her she was being watched.

She was breathing heavily, every sense tingling, as she slowly started walking down the hall toward the stairs that led to their bedroom. Her head was whipping around as she went, looking every which way, waiting for him to sneak up on her. She knew it would do no good. He could move faster than she could see, but her anxiety was heightened and she couldn't stop herself.

She climbed the stairs cautiously, still looking behind her every few seconds and opened the double doors to their bedroom. She took two steps into the room before something caught her ankle. Marcus carefully grasped her as she tumbled, cushioning her fall and tossing her onto her back on the bed. She gasped as he was suddenly on top of her, straddling her waist and holding her wrists above her head. All of it happened in the span of a second and she felt her head spinning.

She arched her back, lightly struggling against his grip on her wrists and he purred before releasing her and leaning down to kiss her gently on her parted lips, then moving to press kisses across her jaw and down her neck. His hand gripped her hair to move her head to the side as he angled her how he wanted her.

"Such a delicate little thing requires a gentle hand, don't you, my mate?"

She whimpered in response, her arousal heightening with the contradiction of his alternating rough and tender touches and the lingering anxiety from his chase. Her heart was still racing, although it was swiftly being caused more by her excitement rather than fear.

"And how soft you are…" he purred, running a finger lightly from the back of her ear to where the neck of her dress sat. The dress was low cut enough to allow a small amount of cleavage when she was standing, but laying down caused her to almost completely spill out of it. He palmed the creamy pale flesh and she gasped, arching to press further into his palm.

He clucked his tongue at her, speaking to her in an annoyingly patronizing voice that went straight to the wet spot building between her legs. "Look how needy you are. Why did you run from me if you are in such a state?"

"Marcus please," she gasped as he smoothly pulled the neck of the dress and her bra down, thrusting her breasts out. He looked at the heaving flesh hungrily before he leaned down to take one nipple into his mouth. He alternated between the two, stimulating them with both his mouth and his hands, until she was breathless.

He leaned up to kiss her mouth and used her distraction to grip her bra and dress in two hands and rip them down the middle, leaving her fully bare for his gaze and wandering hands.

She squeaked and looked at him accusingly.

"I will buy you a new dress," he said consolingly before guiding his hand down her body between her legs, pressing against her centre and rubbing against her clit with his palm. She let out a shuddering moan and her eyes fluttered shut, entirely losing the ability to think when he touched her like that.

He could feel a wet spot growing on her panties where her arousal was pooling and he crawled down her body, pressing her face between her thighs and inhaling the sweet scent. Before she could even squeak in embarrassment, he had ripped off her panties in the same manner he had the rest of her clothes and licked up the length of her slit from her entrance to her clit. She whimpered as his tongue passed over the sensitive, swollen flesh and clutched his hair to press herself harder against his mouth.

His hands gripped the globes of her ass and he thrust his tongue into the clenching sheathe, imitating the act he would soon replace with his cock. Her thighs trembled and he deftly hoisted them over his shoulders before continuing in his thorough exploration.

She propped herself up on her elbows to look down at the sight and met his eyes. Her pupils were completely blown in her pleasure, however even that could not stop her from blushing and collapsing back on the bed with embarrassment from the intimacy of the sight of his face between her thighs and feeling his tongue within her.

His tongue withdrew and moved to flatten against her clit as he alternated rubbing her with it and flicking the swollen flesh with the tip of his tongue.

She cried out and gripped his hair with one hand while fisting the bedsheets with another. It reminded him of how delicate and weak his human mate was, as he could tell her grip would have been enough to tear hair out of a human, however he barely felt the tug. It reminded him how careful he needed to be with her, even as his lust grew with her taste on his tongue.

When he could no longer resist her soft, clenching flesh, he released her and sat up to remove his clothes, tossing them carelessly on the ground. He crouched between her limp legs and pulled her down so her bottom was flush on his thighs. She looked up at him, slightly confused at his positioning but hardly able to put two thoughts together to question it, and he pulled her legs over his shoulders once more so she was nearly bent in half.

He lined his erection up with her entrance, watching her face for anxiety as he did so. She was panting and flushed and thoroughly aroused. He grinned lasciviously at what a delectable sight she made. And she was all his.

He pushed into her and groaned at the sensation. Her eyes fluttered closed and he heard her breath hitch, however she didn't clench around him. He purred deeply, encouraging her relaxation so she would not hurt herself more by tensing.

He paused once the head was fully encased in her softness to bring his thumb to her clit, rubbing her in tight circles and beginning to fuck her gently and shallowly with only the head inside her. She shuddered at the sensation and bit her lip, her beautiful eyes fluttering up to look at him before closing again bashfully. As he was thrusting, he began gently easing more of his length inside her, adding another inch every few thrusts until he was fully inside her. He continued fucking her shallowly, only withdrawing a few inches before easing back inside her until he was sure she was not in a great deal of pain.

She was so wet and swollen around him, it was as if her body was trying to seal him within her. He had never felt something so tight and soft around his cock before her. Her grip on his flesh was exquisite and he had to school himself not to thrust too hard or take more than she was prepared to give.

Anna was grateful for how gentle he was being with her. While it didn't hurt as much as the first time, she was still uncomfortably aware of how large he was, although as uncomfortable as it was, the pleasure was even greater. The gasp she emitted with each thrust was both from discomfort and the shock of pleasure at the feel of him moving within her. He seemed to fill every space inside of her until she thought she would drown in his thorough possession.

He thrust harder and finally she could not contain her wince from the feeling, causing him to pause. He wouldn't have his mate suffering through his attentions when he wanted her writing beneath him once again. In an attempt to ease her pain, he rolled them over with his erection still buried deep inside her so that he was on his back and she was straddling his waist, giving her the ability to control how deeply and how hard he was thrust inside her. She seemed even more confused, however, with this change of position and he guided her hips to rock against him.

"Find what feels good for you, beloved," he encouraged.

Her brow furrowed and he rocked her again, encouraging her to find a rhythm that she enjoyed and she gasped at the sensation of her clitoris grinding against his pubic bone. He did it again, eliciting a slight moan this time.

"Good girl," he purred. He saw her pupils dilate further in pleasure as she began to move without his prompting. She raised her hips slightly, experimenting with the angle, and whimpered when she felt him drag against the sensitive flesh at the front of her sex.

She readjusted herself so she was leaning forward, crouching above him and hovering slightly so he did not enter her fully and began to rock herself against him, thrusting him inside of her with every downward movement and dragging the head of his cock against her g-spot as she moved up his length.

She continued until she was shaking and whimpering and so near to her climax she could feel little spasms that rocked through her, but it was still out of reach... still not yet fully washing over her. She felt as if something were missing, but she could not identify what it was. His hands smoothed over her hips to tease her nipples and her hips stuttered at the sensation. He took advantage of her distraction by gripping her neck so she leaned down and pressed their lips together. She moaned and his forcefulness caused another contraction to shudder through her sex.

As their lips broke off, she realized with a start of embarrassment that the thing she was missing was his thorough domination of her. Even when he was being tender and gentle, he still took charge of her, commanding her body, and as much as it embarrassed her, she adored it.

He seemed to realize what she was missing at the same time as she did and he began guiding her hips again, mimicking her previous movements now that he knew the rhythm and depth she had found that she enjoyed. He quickly sat up so their chests were flush against one another and wrapped her legs around his waist before continuing his movement of her with one hand, the other coming to cup the back of her head.

"Look at me," he commanded and her eyes sprang open. His voice growled at her, "This is what you desire? Your mate commanding you? You are mine, piccola. Even if you are on top, it is because I put you there."

She whimpered and he felt her sex flutter against him at his words. His mate was shy and innocent, but she loved when he spoke filthy things to her. He grinned lasciviously. "You cannot come without me guiding you there because even your own body knows to whom it belongs."

She buried her face against his neck and cried out when the hand that had been gripping the back of her head swatted her bottom. She straightened up to look at him in shock. "You will answer me, my mate," he commanded. Not once did he cease his movements of her, and he could feel her growing closer to her climax again.

He was so large and heavy inside of her and the words he was saying to her made her flush with both embarrassment and desire. She knew he was right – her body responding to his words were answer enough… but he wanted her to say them out loud?

Her eyes were so wide and innocent as she looked at him he almost groaned. "I'm yours," she whispered and he felt her small hands clutching at him as she grew nearer to her climax. "And I love the things you do to me."

He purred for her. "That is right, you are mine, as I am yours." He felt a contraction seize her sex around him, fluttering softly around his cock, and he knew she was almost there. "Now come for your mate."

At his command, her orgasm seized her. Her legs clamped down harder around his waist and she hid her face against his neck and she rode out the pleasure. As soon as her walls began fluttering around him, she felt him following suit, filling her with his cool ejaculate with a low groan.

Once they had both stilled, he laid her on her back on the bed, tucking the covers around her as he curled himself around her pliant body with a leg thrown over hers and his arm possessively across her waist as she floated down from her orgasm. She felt him adjust her legs slightly apart before tracing his fingers between them. She whimpered in shock when he gently delved two of those teasing fingers into her channel.

She tried to wiggle her hips away but was prevented by his grip on her. She was sore and the tissue was still too sensitive from the release he had given her and she looked at him pleadingly to stop. He met her eyes and purred, enjoying the combination of the intimate touch of her tight, wet grip on his fingers, while meeting her eyes.

He gently removed his hand from between her legs, now covered in the liquid of their release, and brought it to her stomach, rubbing the scent into her as he had done the last night in their cottage. He did it once more, gently easing his fingers into her and rubbing his scent on her breasts and up to her collar bones.

She did not know why he did it and knew she likely looked as confused as she felt, but she did not prevent him from the exercise or try to deny him entrance again. The feeling of his cum made her skin tingle and even with her weak human senses she could smell the sweet scent of it... and she enjoyed it, as perverse as she found it.

Once he was done she relaxed into his embrace, enjoying the gentle rocking of the boat beneath them and the sounds of the waves through the open window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, and I didn't get much response re: a glossary but I figure it will be helpful in the coming chapters so I'm going to start it anyways! I added in some terms and descriptions to the bottom of chapters 20, 14, 12, 9, 6, and 3 if you're interested :)


	23. Chapter 23

 

After a few hours of dozing, Anna began to untangle herself from the sheets and inched towards the edge of the bed. She let out a little squeak when, as he felt her stirring, Marcus wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his hard body and she found herself prevented from moving more than an inch.

She giggled and allowed him to curl himself around her, enjoying their closeness. "I will need to get up and shower eventually," she teased.

One of his hands began gently stroking her belly and she was viscerally reminded of the way he rubbed his release over her, causing her to blush as she squirmed from the memory.

"No, you do not," he said simply as if that ended the discussion on the topic.

"You covered me in-"

He began purring at her indignant tone and nuzzled the back of her head with his chin. Every instinct in him was purring in satisfaction that all the immortals around them would know she was his mate – claimed and bonded – just by her scent.

"And now you smell as you should."

"I smell like your-"

He began kissing her neck and his stroking hand dipped lower, seeking to distract her. She squirmed against it, feeling more than a little sore after their afternoon coupling and uncertain whether her body was ready for more.

"I know," he soothed as his hand slid between her legs and he gently cupped her mound in a slightly possessive, but still soothing way. When she was sure he wouldn't go further with her protesting body and seemed content to merely hold her, Anna settled again and fully relaxed into his chest with her thighs clutched around his hand.

They were still in bed, with Anna having reached another light doze when she heard Marcus growling lowly and leaning over her to glare at the door. She heard a high-pitched laughter on the other side that sounded suspiciously like Dora. He snarled something in Latin in response before relaxing back on the bed and pulling her close once more.

"They have returned," he said with a sigh. Anna turned over to look at him and pouted slightly.

"That sucks, I was hoping to be able to swim while they were gone," she grumbled lightly.

"Why can you not go swimming with them here?" He looked at her in question and sounded confused by her dilemma.

"Dora and Sulpicia would only pack me bikinis," she said, blushing slightly at the memory of the tiny flimsy pieces of fabric in her suitcase. "I can't wear them in front of your brothers, I'd be practically naked and that would just embarrass all of us!"

He sighed and stroked a hand through her hair, propping his head up on his hand.

"Beloved, you know it would not bother them. We are not uncomfortable with one another's bodies. They consider you a sister."

"Even Caius?" Anna asked doubtfully.

He sighed again. "Even Caius, tesoro. You forget I can see the bonds between people. He is… discomfited by the fact that you are still human, but even still, that is more directed toward me for not changing you. It is not personal and it does not change that you are his sister by bond."

She squirmed a little, uncomfortable with the topic. "Why is it so bad that I'm human? I know I'm not beautiful or fast or strong but…"

"You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen," Marcus denied fiercely, and then grimaced. "However I do not wish to upset you with the answer to your question."

She blushed at his vehement denial that she was not beautiful but prompted him to continue.

"You know what we are and you know what we eat," he began, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Caius is… averse to the idea that my mate is still remaining as a… potential food source. He finds the idea of human and vampire relations to be very distasteful. I suppose it is not dissimilar to how humans would view mating with their own food source."

She cringed and looked away at his admissions. Had she not already had the same concerns regarding her status as prey? But the fact that Caius viewed her as something so below him made her stomach sink. He saw her relationship with Marcus as some perversion?

He saw her upset and gathered her into his arms, purring to soothe her. "I am sorry for upsetting you. I should not have told you."

"Is that how the others view me as well?" Her voice was muffled from where she had buried it against his chest.

"No. Aro is more intrigued by you than anything. The fact that he cannot hear you seems to both frustrate and refresh him. And my sisters do not have such disparaging views of humanity. I suppose they have interacted with humans more, and Caius has always been the more stubborn and narrow-minded of us anyhow. Their only concern with you as a human is that I may hurt you."

"You've never hurt me," she denied fiercely, clinging harder to him.

He tilted her head back so she had to meet his eye and he raised a brow in skepticism, "Never?"

She flushed. "Well, never in a way that didn't also feel good."

He smirked at how flustered she became but sobered again at the topic at hand, "I am much stronger than you. I could easily hurt you if, in a moment of ecstasy, I grabbed you too roughly or reached too quickly. I would never hurt you on purpose and I have long since mastered my own strength and limitations, however that is their concern."

"I trust you," she said quietly.

"And that is the greatest gift you could give me," he cupped her face in his hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Come, it is a warm day. Let us enjoy it and go swimming. I will ensure none of the guard intrude."

* * *

Anna blushed as she pulled on the peach coloured strappy Stella McCartney bikini. Her breasts threatened to spill out of it and, while the high-waisted bottoms covered her soft tummy, they also emphasized her hips and made her feel embarrassingly sensual.

She stared at herself in the mirror and then hastily pulled a white crocheted cover-up over top and exited the closet. She found Marcus waiting for her in a pair of plain black, shockingly short square leg swim trunks and a white V-neck t-shirt, which immediately stopped in her tracks as she ogled his sturdy legs that were usually covered by his conservative suits, and the expanse of his muscled chest the shirt revealed.

"We're never leaving this boat," she said hoarsely.

He laughed deeply, "Perhaps I will have to update my wardrobe if this is how you react to it."

He offered his arm, "Come, your sisters are waiting."

She felt her blush deepening on the walk to the pool, schooling herself against the urge to run back to the room and change into normal clothes.

Marcus seemed to feel no shame whatsoever for his body, and when they reached the pool Anna saw that neither did Dora or Sulpicia, from the look of them lounging in sun chairs, dressed only in skimpy string bikini bottoms. The rest of their body, from their flat stomachs and trim waists to their small, round breasts were bare to the sun and their smooth skin glowed lightly.

She immediately averted her eyes in mortification, although she feared the image was burned into her mind forever and the sight almost made her turn back right there. She had always been teased as a kid for being chubby and even as she grew into her body, she was still curvier and softer than beauty standards dictated. And seeing her sisters' perfect, slender nude bodies was only bringing up those insecurities once again, not to mention her embarrassment over seeing them topless. She was a doctor and as such, she had seen many naked bodies, but the fact that they were her sisters made it infinitely more uncomfortable.

Marcus sighed in exasperation at their antics, knowing they had done this intentionally. He kept a hand on his mate's back to steer her forward and keep her from turning back. The slight resistance against his hand and her halting steps were telling him that that's exactly what she wanted to do. He was thankful that they had at least banished their mates, as he was sure that no amount of coaxing would've kept his mate here if there were other males around.

"It took you long enough," Dora said, not bothering to lift her head from the chair. She made a show of sniffing the air and then grinned, peeking an eye open to look at his mortified mate. "I suppose I can't blame you, though."

Sulpicia grinned and looked to them as well but didn't say anything when she saw Marcus' glare.

"Ignore them," he told his mortified mate. He saw Dora's lips quirk up in a little smirk at his words as he ushered Anna towards a free chair on the other side of the pool.

"It's a little hard to ignore them when they're shining like the beacon of Gondor," she grumbled. Dora's smirk turned into a full-blown cackle at the remark.

He smiled at her and then smoothly pulled the cotton shirt over his head and strolled to the edge of the water before diving in. When he surfaced in the water he saw his mate staring at him with the slightly dazed and transfixed look she got when his unnaturally graceful movement or appearance aroused her, as it did to all humans. He laughed at her and swam to the edge.

"Distraction is dangerous when you are swimming, my mate. You should be more cautious."

She seemed to snap out of her reverie at his words and shyly pulled the loose dress over her head, revealing her own swimsuit. Bathing costumes had truly improved greatly in the past hundred years, he thought to himself as he ogled the skin-tight fabric that hardly concealed any part of his delectable mate. Although the nudity in which the Greeks had swam was infinitely more appealing now that he was faced with the sight of her smooth, soft body.

She padded over to where he was treading water and sat on the edge, slipping her feet into the pool and twirling her toes through it while smiling nervously at him.

He grinned predatorily in response before grabbing her ankle and yanking her in the water, issuing a shriek and some ungraceful flailing from her. She spluttered as she surfaced and looked at him incredulously.

"You did say you wanted a bath," he purred. Her eyes narrowed and he grinned again before swimming away from her, cutting through the water so swiftly all she could see was a blur of waves.

They stayed in the pool, splashing each other and enjoying the sunshine until Anna began to prune. Sulpicia had eventually joined them as well, although Dora refused to wet her hair and instead stayed lazing in her chair in the sun.

They were interrupted when Aro casually strode onto the deck, his eyes immediately finding his wife's breasts and not leaving them as he announced that they would be anchoring in Nice's harbour within the hour.

As he was leaving, he finally tore his eyes away from Sulpicia and looked down at his dry, sunbathing sister, seeming to consider her for a moment. With a thoughtful look on his face, in one smooth movement, he tipped Dora's chair into the pool. While Dora's flailing was slightly more graceful than Anna's had been, the shriek she made as she was submerged made Anna slightly concerned that she would have lasting hearing loss. Aro laughed uproariously as he quickly fled the deck.

* * *

As the day had been sunny, they had to wait until evening to taxi from the yacht to the mainland to avoid unnecessary attention. There was a slight chill in the air and Anna was glad the thick wool sweater had won out over the thin Merino one in Dora and Sulpicia's packing debate as she huddled on Marcus' lap with the wind whipping round them.

She felt an odd chill go through her, although this time it was from anxiety rather than the cold air as they got further away from the yacht. She shook her head in an attempt to banish the strange feeling and tried to distract herself from whatever had caused it. She looked around at the rest of the family on the boat, smiling a little when she saw Dora was sitting on Caius' lap, a scarf over her hair to protect it from the wind as she was shooting death glares at Aro.

She turned away from their antics and looked toward the destination that was growing closer on the horizon. She could not make out much of the city with her poor human eyesight except that it seemed to have a vibrant night life, with many bright lights scattered along the coast. It only made the fear worse for some reason and she was sure if she didn't calm herself soon, Marcus would take notice of it.

She snuggled further into him, seeking his comfort, and he smiled down at her as he stroked her hair. She relaxed into him, trying to pay attention only to his hand to ignore the feeling that wouldn't be quelled. She briefly considered whether this was the bond manipulating her feelings again, although this didn't feel like a foreign emotion or urge the way it did before...

She was thankfully distracted from her worried thoughts when the boat slowed down to wind their way through the harbour and finally docked at a massive waterfront hotel. A delicious smell wafted over to her from a nearby restaurant, but it only made Anna's stomach turn.

A valet was waiting at the dock to show them to their rooms, leading them through a luxurious casino and pointing out other amenities as they went by, which the rest of the family seemed unimpressed by. Anna was similarly distracted from the valet's speech as she watched how the heads of nearly everyone turned to watch them as they passed, the humans instinctively attracted to the beauty and grace of the immortals. While the hotel was stunning, it was this that Anna noticed most. She hadn't really had much exposure to other humans with them, having bypassed the airports almost entirely on her trip to Russia, and she had only seen glimpses of human staff in the castle. It was almost refreshing to know she wasn't the only one who reacted to them this way.

She noticed a woman and a man on the far side of the room, standing in the corner of the casino and looking oddly out of place, although Anna couldn't say why exactly. They both towered almost a head and a half over everyone else in the room except for Marcus and his brothers and they seemed oddly fixated on the family, although not bewitched as the other humans seemed to be.

The woman was tall, dark-haired, and wore a plain black dress and sunglasses, despite being indoors at night. The man had vibrant, almost flamingly red hair, and the doctor in her identified that he looked oddly jaundiced as if he had a liver condition. Before they left the casino, Anna could've sworn the woman made eye contact with her behind her glasses and she felt a chill go down her spine.

As soon as the valet brought them to the penthouse floor, which seemed to be empty except for their family, Anna made a beeline for her room and flopped down on her bed. She was still feeling slightly off about their trip, although she could not place exactly where the feeling was coming from and was becoming incredibly frustrated with her inability to identify her anxieties.

She longed for the comfort of the yacht and fought the desire to beg Marcus to take her back. She tried to tell herself this feeling was merely because she wasn't used to being back out in public, especially in a strange place she had never been before, but those two people in the casino were plaguing her thoughts and she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was off about them.

Marcus noticed her discomfort and laid down with her on the bed, pulling her body so it was flush against his.

"Are you hungry, beloved? Shall I have dinner brought up? Or would you like to go find someplace else to eat? There looked to be many restaurants on the waterfront."

The idea of going out at night in this strange place made Anna shiver nervously. She especially did not want to go past those two strange people again, although she didn't want to tell Marcus that as she was sure he would think she was just being a silly paranoid human jumping at shadows.

"Maybe we can just order in tonight and explore tomorrow?"

He purred and smoothed a hand down her side. "Of course, my love. Whatever you desire."

* * *

Anna awoke the next morning with her mate's limbs entwined around her own. The curtains were partially open, letting in some of the fresh morning light and she stretched and smiled. The strange foreboding of the previous night seemed to have calmed and her excitement had rekindled.

She felt him chuckle behind her and pull her closer, "I am glad you are in better spirits this morning, tesoro. You had me worried."

She wiggled against him, feeling the half-hard stiffness of his cock against her ass. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to concern you. Perhaps I will have to make it up to you," she said shyly, glad she wasn't facing him so he wouldn't see the blush on her cheeks from her innuendo.

"And how would you plan to do that?" He growled in her ear. She could feel him hardening further and pressing against her insistently now.

She turned in his arms and ran a finger down his chest from his collarbone to his defined abs, biting her lip. "Whatever you want…"

"One day I will show you just what 'whatever I want' means," he said, his voice deepening even further as he stared hungrily at her.

He dipped his hand into her panties and found her slick and ready and his eyes darkened. He tore off his shorts and pounced on her, kissing down her neck and sucking her nipples through her shirt.

"Are these walls soundproofed?" She gasped, clutching his hair.

"Yes," he growled against her. "And the family are all on the other side of the floor. No one will hear anything."

"I need you," she said, clutching her own panties and tearing them off her hips, eager for the comfort and reassurance of her mate's body.

Enticed by his mate's own uncharacteristic savagery, Marcus tore off the matching silk camisole she wore to bed and feasted his eyes on her beautiful body. He grabbed her by the hips and dragged her to him, positioning himself in front of her entrance and staring into her eyes as he teased her with the tip of his cock.

Anna whimpered and writhed against him. She had come to fully understand the pleasure that could come from her mate's body, rather than the pain and shame that she had known before, and now she craved him. He leaned down to kiss her and purred as he gently guided himself inside her, slowly easing his way past her clenching entrance before he stilled to let her body adjust to him.

His mate gasped and arched her back at the sensation of being filled by him. Her walls strained around him and she whimpered from both pleasure and the bite of pain that still accompanied their joining as her body stretched to accommodate him.

He brushed his thumb over the small button of nerves on the top of her sex, eliciting more whimpering and she began to tremble solely from pleasure now, her legs shaking where they were resting against his shoulders. He teased her again, stroking his thumb over the sensitive tissue but not giving her stimulation that would give her satisfaction.

Her eyes flashed open and she looked at him accusingly.

"Is there something you desire, beloved?" He asked mockingly, giving a gentle thrust as he pressed farther inside her, but not bringing her to the ecstasy she had come to expect.

"I ache," she said, looking at him beseechingly, her lips pouting slightly in her desire and frustration.

He purred for her but still didn't give her the stimulation she wanted. He gave another gentle thrust and rubbed his thumb up over her again.

She wiggled against him, seeking more friction and hoping to entice him into giving her the pleasure she desired. She gasped as her movements caused him to move inside of her, gently nudging her walls and giving her the barest hints of pleasure she sought. He purred and stroked down her body, pausing to tease her nipples and squeeze the round globes of her ass. She saw him staring down at her with black hungry eyes, looking between her breasts, her flushed face, and the place where they were joined.

She let out a startled squeak when suddenly, without warning, Marcus harshly withdrew from her and she was flipped on her stomach. He held her down on the bed with his erection pressed against her ass. "Clearly my mate needs to be reminded who is in control here," he growled into her ear. His voice sounded so dangerous and threatening, although she could still hear the hint of teasing to offset most of the anxiety that could otherwise accompany his harsh words.

She wiggled and whimpered at the loss of sensation, pressing her bottom more firmly against him with her limited movement, hoping to entice him to enter her again. "Please," she whimpered. "I know I'm yours. I need you."

He clucked his tongue at her in reprimand and moved her hair off her neck, kissing her gently, which contrasted with his harsh hold on her wrists. "I am not convinced, perhaps you need a lesson to remind you."

She gasped as he pulled her hips into the air and a hand came to hold the back of her neck, keeping her face pressed into the bed as he spread her legs to present her most sensitive part to him. The gasp turned to a yelp when he thrust himself roughly and unexpectedly inside her.

She panted, unused to the rough intrusion and a strangled whimper escaped her throat. He was too big, it was too much, she couldn't handle it… he had never entered her so suddenly or roughly before and she struggled against the sensation.

He purred to calm her and ran the hand that had been holding her neck down to stroke her back. His touch soothed her before bringing it back to lightly grip her neck once more, leaving her in this vulnerable position even as his hand gentled. His other hand gripped her hips and she felt it tensing and releasing slightly, as if he was schooling himself to stay still and allow her to adjust to this new angle and the shock from his rough handling.

She gradually relaxed against him, shivering at the feeling of how much larger he felt inside her this way, which seemed to press against new places inside of her. She thrust herself slightly against his hips, seeking more of the friction and gasping slightly at the sting of the stretch. That seemed to give him the signal he needed to begin moving, withdrawing gently before thrusting back in her more roughly. She cried out at the feeling of his harsh possession of her but arched her back, silently begging for more.

He released his hold on her neck and used his hand to pull her torso up to be supported by her shaky arms. She mindlessly complied with his adjustments, her attention entirely focussed on the feeling of him within her and the way his thrusts dragged even more firmly against her g-spot from this angle.

As her pleasure grew, so did her awareness that her clitoris felt swollen and bereft. She tilted her hips, seeking more friction that would send her over the precipice of her release and whimpered when he didn't comply with her silent request. He purred patronizingly at her dilemma and his denial swelled some dominant male part of him, satisfying it in a way he had never felt before her. He had always been domineering and controlling, but his sweet mate was so trusting and submissive to him, willingly giving herself to him in any way he wanted... and he wanted everything from her. He felt possessiveness sweep him and he thrust harder into her.

"Who do you belong to?" He whispered in her ear, his voice reduced almost to a mere hiss with his pleasure.

She felt a primal shiver go down her spine as her brain realized how close this hissing predator was to her neck and she felt herself clench around him with it.

"You," she cried out as he thrust harder.

He found himself bending over her back, folding himself around her and wrapping an arm around her waist, needing to possess her more closely and feel her soft body beneath his, so compliant and obedient.

She let out a pleased sigh, feeling surrounded by him and comforted by his proximity except in that place she needed his touch most.

"Tell me what you desire, beloved," he whispered in her ear again.

She tilted her hips again as if demonstrating where she wanted him. He growled warningly, although there was no real danger in it, and she knew he was going to make her tell him. He seemed to enjoy making her vocalize things and seeing how flustered she became.

"I want you to touch me… please," the last word was hardly more than a whimper.

He purred for her and rewarded her obedience by reaching his hand from her waist to where his cock was thrusting in and out of her, rubbing the needy flesh in the tight circles he knew would bring her to orgasm.

Within seconds her release had seized her. She arched against him with a strength that surprised him and she cried out, sounding slightly strangled as she collapsed against the bed once more. He felt a rush of her arousal around him, wetting him further, as he felt the rippling contractions seizing her sex, moving up the length of his cock as if trying to milk him for his release. He purred at the feeling, continuing his hard possession for the duration of her orgasm, only stopping when she began trying to wiggle her hips off him from the overstimulation.

He didn't allow her to withdraw him from inside of her, but he gave her a moment to recover. Despite intending to allow her to relax, he seemed unable to stop his cock from twitching within her and nudging her walls, reminding them both that he was not yet done with her.

She gasped and shivered when she felt it and he held her hips tighter, certain his grip was the only thing keeping them upright as she laid beneath him bonelessly.

He stroked a hand down her body and repositioned her so they were spooning with his cock still inside of her. He purred deeply and whispered endearments to her, telling her of her great beauty, of the pleasure she gave him, how he adored her. After a minute when she was still boneless and blissful from her release, he shallowly began to thrust within her again.

She gasped and he felt her arch once again, reaching a hand back to grab him. She clutched the skin at his waist, seeming to be scrambling for purchase amidst the sensations in her over-sensitive body.

He latched his mouth onto the exposed neck before him, sucking kisses and ever so carefully grazing his razor sharp teeth over her trembling flesh. His thrusts became harder and quicker as he felt his balls tightening, knowing his own release was nearing, but he held it off, waiting for her own body to tighten around his again first.

She lost herself in the feeling of him, letting out a small whimper with every thrust, unable to focus on anything except the weight of him inside her and around her, his hands on her breasts, his mouth on her neck, his breath ghosting across her skin… the rest of the world ceased to exist.

She felt her body shuddering around him again as another release washed over her spent body and distantly heard him growl his own release, but it was all lost in the haze that he had built within her.

* * *

"She has good instincts," the man said appraisingly. "None of the others even sensed us, but she felt it as soon as they disembarked from their vessel. And she spotted us immediately as she entered the hotel."

"She has excellent instincts," the woman defended, blinking owlishly as she removed her sunglasses to reveal her odd grey eyes. They twinkled lightly, like the sunlight glimmering over the ocean's waves. Stormy eyes, as wild and untamed and deep as the sea. They looked at him warningly, darkening dangerously and losing their twinkle as they did so, like the calm before the storm.

"You know I will be careful with her. And I will do everything in my power to spare her. You do not need to threaten me," the man said. "You know this is the right choice."

The woman sighed. "It does not yet seem like the wisest strategy. Perhaps if I just-"

"You cannot change the monster. It is what it is. You know that."

"They can change themselves," she defended. "What of your Nazarene pets, then? Are they not redeemed? Why are you so sure the Volturi cannot be corrected in the same manner?"

"Because they do not wish to be, and it is too dangerous to allow them to continue any further down this path in the hopes that that will change. You should have fixed this sooner and I would not have had to get involved."

"Marcus held such promise once. They all did," she said, sadness tingeing her voice. "But they let the world of humans taint them."

"They should not have existed in the first place," the man scowled, looking disgusted. "I don't know what your father was thinking. Hedonistic, prone to violence, possessive… you cannot blame this on the humans. At least when some of them go bad, they die off quick enough. There's only so much damage they can do."

"Perhaps he will listen to her. She is his mate, and even you can see how she has tamed him – all of them, to an extent. She has a pure heart. I'm sure she would try and help if she was given an opportunity. And he would listen to her."

The man looked like he was going to argue further but she leveled him with her stormy gaze.

He scowled in exasperation. "Fine. Do what you will. I will hear no more of this madness. You know they must be stopped, and if your favoured one will not see the error of his ways, I will take matters into my own hands."

With those parting words, the jaundiced man conjured a gust of flames. He stepped inside of the blaze and promptly disappeared.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Nazarene: An early name for Christians referencing Nazareth, the city where Jesus is from.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Marcus was feeling extra possessive today and things get a little rough. Everyone is a consenting adult but if you're sensitive to that, please be aware that you may need to skip that part and go straight to the end of the chapter

After a day of exploring the markets of Nice, Marcus tucked his mate into the large bed in their room and held her close as she drifted off to sleep. He breathed in her scent, still thoroughly mixed with his own since their mating that morning despite her attempts to wash it off, and couldn't stop himself from smiling at the thought of how much his modest, innocent mate had enjoyed being bent over and held down while he ravished her. They were truly made for one another, suited to the other in ways no one else could ever understand. The way she responded to his appetites was proof enough of it.

His eyes softened as he saw her breath evening out and becoming deeper. She was so delicate… he thought of how light and pliant she had been in his arms when he had picked her up and carried her to the shower that morning, once she had recovered from the exertion. He knew that, with her human sensibilities, she would want to bathe after their activities and he humoured her attempts to rid herself of his scent, content in the knowledge that it was so thoroughly infused into her skin that it would take much more than some soap to remove it. He couldn't stop a quiet purr from rumbling out of his chest at the thought.

He had gently washed her, lingering perhaps longer than was necessary on her breasts and hips, and then brought her to the patio in the courtyard to break her fast. She was perfect. Too perfect for a creature like him. Still so trusting even after she had seen the darkly possessive sides of him. So resilient, and yet so gentle. He knew that beneath the soft human skin, she was made of steel.

He waited until she was deeply in her sleep cycle before carefully extracting his arms from around her. He felt a slight ache in his chest at leaving her, but he needed to hunt and she was still too sensitive to his absence to be able to do it in her waking hours. And the thought of her knowing what he was doing made the ache in his chest turn to piercing pain. He couldn't bear the thought of her fear or disgust. And he knew that such a tender, delicate human would naturally have those reactions to his feeding.

He exited the room and saw Sulpicia waiting for him in the hall. He smiled at her and she smiled back warmly in response.

"I will stay with your mate until you return," she said.

"If she wakes…"

"I will tell her there was urgent business and call you immediately so she does not feel the strain of the bond again."

"Thank you," he said, leaning close to kiss her forehead affectionately. "You are a good sister. I appreciate what you do."

With that, he left the floor quickly, wanting to get the trip over with so he could return to his mate. The thought of her waking without him and feeling that same gripping sorrow and fear she had felt when he had only been gone two minutes to fetch her breakfast was too much for him to handle.

He stalked out of the hotel, sticking to the shadows and allowing his predator's mindset to overtake him as he began to seek out his prey. There was no shortage of humans to pick from in this busy city's nightlife, their blood singing to him delectably.

He passed two young drunken males, hardly out of adolescence. Their blood was reeking of alcohol and he could smell the scent of multiple women's cunts on them. He felt a small smile on his face. They were young and in their prime and they reminded him of a similar time in his life when he was human – drinking and fighting and fucking everything with a pulse. How could he deprive them of the wildness of youth? Besides, he told himself, he was uninterested in tainted blood. Alcohol left such a foul taste in the mouth.

He walked silently down a narrow alley that opened out in a residential area. It was much quieter without the hustle of the bars and most of the humans in the vicinity were at home sleeping in their beds, except for one… he could smell a young female up ahead, ripe and sweet and clean. He felt venom rising in his mouth in response. As he got closer he saw she was around the same slight height as his mate, although this woman was heavier than Anna, with short hair and dark features.

He delved into his bond sight quickly and was immediately halted in his steps from where he was silently stalking closer to her. He saw a new bond stretching from her to an infant. The bond between mother and child was strong and he saw the joy and love shared between them. Her steps were hurried, likely wishing to return home to her babe. He could not tear this child's mother from them. Could not leave them an orphan the way his beloved had been torn from her pater. He immediately turned and walked away, seeking another victim to sate his thirst.

He walked back to the busy street, resigned to blood tainted with alcohol. There would be no shortage of that to choose from, considering the number of bars and clubs around here. He stood in the shadows of the alley, watching the oblivious humans pass him by and waiting for the right target.

One man, in particular, caught his attention. He was well past his prime and a large bull of a man, nearly as tall as himself but with the fleshiness of a body that was beginning to age. He had a hard face and something about the man made anger flash through Marcus. He looked at his bond sight and the decision was made for him.

The man had few bonds, and none showed intimacy or love. One caught his attention and immediately reminded him of the noose-like bond that had initially been around his mate. This man's bond similarly looked to be nearly strangulating the woman it was attached to. He would have no qualms about ending this life, he decided. He would likely be doing the world a favour.

The human was obviously drunk and Marcus could smell the stench of anger and violence on him. A mean drunk. He followed him from the shadows for several minutes before the man ducked into an alley, when Marcus took his chance.

Before the human knew what had happened, Marcus' hand was covering his mouth to prevent a scream and his teeth were buried in the man's neck, draining him dry.

Once he was finished, he let the body drop to the ground unceremoniously. He sent a text message to Demetri, letting him know to send one of the lower guard to come dispose of it and immediately set off back to his mate with the renewed strength of the human's lifeblood.

He raced through the shadows of the back streets and up the stairwell to the penthouse floor, not wanting to bother waiting for the elevator when Anna was so close he could smell the faint scent of her amidst the other humans in the building. Her sweet scent seemed almost to float above the others, beckoning to him, and he heeded the call.

He paused outside of their door, taking a moment to calm himself of his frenzy before quietly inserting his key card in the door and opening it silently, not wanting to wake his sleeping mate.

He was stopped in his tracks when he looked toward the bed. His mate was sleeping peacefully on her side, hardly having moved since he left… with Sulpicia spooned behind her, her own higher pitched purr steadily rumbling out of her breast, and her arms tenderly wrapped around his soft mate.

She looked over to the door, smirking slightly in relief when she saw Marcus had returned. He raised an eyebrow at the scene, clearly waiting for an explanation. His sister had said she would sit with Anna, not climb into the bed with her.

"She was restless and I worried she was going to wake. She seemed to calm at my purring and I know how much you two enjoy cuddling."

His eyes narrowed at her light mocking tone but he nodded his head once. "Thank you. That is very considerate."

"Of course, brother! Now if you will excuse me, my own mate grows restless without me."

Marcus knew exactly what she meant by "restless" and he let out a long-suffering sigh at his siblings' renewed appetites whenever they left the comforts of the castle. He knew he could not truly blame them, as it was merely the call of the bond to remain together for safety when they were traveling and away from the safety of the castle, but the routine did become old after a few millennia. "Do try to keep it down. If you wake my mate I will be most unimpressed."

He watched her carefully extract herself from Anna and leave the room quickly, smirking at him saucily as she did so. Marcus sighed with exasperation and then replaced her in his usual spot, climbing in behind his mate and holding her firmly against his front, one hand reaching up to lightly cup one of her full, soft breasts. She let out a soft sigh at the feeling and seemed to relax somewhat.

He saw that his sister had been correct that she was restless. Her brow was creased and he could smell the slight scent of her anxiety. He allowed an easy purr to rumble out, hoping to calm her and any bad dreams she may be having.

* * *

Anna drifted through strange dreams as she slept, watching glimpses of images as they flashed by as if flipping through a photo album.

A void, black and impenetrable, without time or matter.

A high mountain that careened down into nothingness.

A grey-eyed woman wearing ancient-looking armour, carrying what looked like a ball of pulsing light which she cradled like an infant.

A young red-haired woman who looked strikingly similar to her, lying in bed and weeping while holding a blood-stained blanket. A grey-haired man was standing next to her in what appeared to be a wealthy Roman villa.

Marcus' face, looking more empty and grief-stricken as the centuries passed.

Her parents and sisters happily playing together as she sat alone in her room with a book.

A river of blood flowing from the hospital in Nigeria.

Joseph's face filled with seething rage as he pushed her down the stairs after having beaten and starved her within an inch of her life, when she was so sure she was going to die.

And then Marcus' face, looking down at her with such warmth and love she felt as if she were glowing with it.

The grey-eyed woman again, standing in her childhood bedroom and staring at her with a piercing gaze. Anna blinked a few times when this scene didn't quickly drift away as well.

She looked around, amazed at the details her mind had conjured. She saw her favourite childhood book on her bedside table and smiled softly. She hadn't even thought of it in years, but the memory must've been tucked away somewhere. It was dog-eared and had a spill of liquid that had disrupted the ink on the front page from when she had brought it into the bath with her one time.

"Hello, Anna," the woman said. Anna was startled out of her study of the room as she looked to the part of the dream that definitely didn't belong – the woman standing directly in front of her, staring at her with an uncomfortably unwavering, grave gaze.

Anna's brow furrowed in confusion as to what this person was doing in her dream. She certainly didn't know her, and she had addressed Anna so strangely as if this was a normal conversation and not the construction of an unconscious mind.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled gently and Anna had to crane her neck to see her face, making her realize how huge the woman was – she must've been as tall as Marcus, who Anna thought was at least six and a half feet tall. She seemed solid, more solid than a dream should've been, and she was wearing a peculiar pure white peplos, like the ones she had seen Ancient Greek statues wear.

"I have gone by many names," she said vaguely. "But let us talk about you. I require your assistance."

Anna was growing even more confused and found herself willing this dream away, wanting a new one. One that made more sense at least.

"My assistance? What do you mean," she asked distractedly, wondering why her mind wasn't cooperating. She began to worry at the strangeness of this dream and tried waking herself up, wanting to return to the comfort and security of your mate.

"You will not be able to leave this dream until I allow it," the strange woman said gently.

Anna didn't know how to respond.

"Your mate has been waiting for you a very long time," the woman continued. "Your arrival has reminded him of his duties that have been neglected. You must remind him of his path, of the purpose the Volturi were intended for. He may listen to you."

"What are you talking about? I remind Marcus of what duty or purpose? I don't understand."

"They must lead and protect," she said simply.

"They already are leaders, they're kings, with a castle and everything," Anna said, her confusion building by the second.

"They use the title, but they are not fulfilling the obligations my father set for them."

"I don't understand," Anna said again, trying to wake herself again from this strange exchange her mind had conjured from some far-off corner of her psyche.

"You will," the woman said with a grim expression, and suddenly the scene changed. Instead of the comfort of her childhood bedroom, Anna was staring at a chilly, sterile warehouse. It was a concrete box, perhaps the size of a football field, and there were two vampires she could see leaning over a table with something on it.

With a shock of horror she realized it was a person strapped to a gurney. The man looked to be unconscious and deathly pale. He had a needle in his arm, slowly draining him of his blood. The needle led to a tube which was dripping into a chalice. With a drop of her stomach, she realized she had seen that chalice before – Dora and Aro had been drinking from some just like it on Christmas Eve.

She looked around and realized this football field sized warehouse was full of unconscious people on gurneys just like that one. With a drop of her stomach, she was vividly reminded of a slaughterhouse.

"That is not an inaccurate assessment," the grey-eyed woman said beside her. Anna practically jumped out of her skin at her voice, not having realized she was still there.

"This is the not-so-distant future," she explained. "The Volturi found this was an easier way of feeding that didn't attract attention to themselves as the humans had become suspicious of them. But humans disappear all the time and if a few of those who disappear end up here, no one will notice. I believe Marcus also found that his mate responded better to feeding when she did not need to look at the human who was providing her meal. This is not the way it was meant to be."

In a blink, the scene changed again, the grey-eyed woman still beside her. They were outside now, although the landscape was foreign to her. Rather than a blue sky, it was a smoggy gray and the sun was a mere small pinprick glowing slightly through it.

She looked around at the buildings surrounding her that seemed too perfect. They were too clean and well-maintained to be anything but a movie set. The grass was too green, the street too orderly and clear. Everything looked as if it was taken from a picture except the humans around her who hurried through their business with a frightened gleam in their downcast eyes.

She saw a scene unfolding in front of her as two vampires in dark robes caught sight of an adolescent girl, sniffing her obviously and grinning in response, their faces completely feral. One of them seized her arm roughly and she let out a cry of pain and fear. What looked like her father was beside her, pleading with them, but they didn't listen. One of them twisted his arm, breaking it with a sickening crack, and then they pulled the sobbing girl along with them into a sleek black car.

She was distracted by the horrific scene when something in the corner of her eye caught her attention. In the distance, she saw a golden castle glimmering on a hill that looked strikingly similar to the castle in Volterra. She felt a sinking feeling in her belly.

"Not long after that, Aro decided that they shouldn't have to hide in the shadows anymore to conceal their nature. He seized control of both the world of monsters and humans. As you can see, it does not work out quite as well for the humans."

"That's not possible," Anna croaked. "Aro wouldn't do that – Marcus wouldn't let him, even if he wanted to! They might not be the most… humane… but they're not monsters like this…"

"Are you so sure about that?"

Anna swallowed. No, she wasn't.

"The time they are from was different. Owning slaves was common, natural even – why should owning human slaves be out of place for a clearly superior race? And why should they deny themselves their natural food source?"

Anna didn't know what to say.

"I have one more thing I must show you," the woman said. "This is how it will end if you do not stop them and remind them of their purpose… if you do not show them a better way."

"I don't understand how I'm even supposed to do that… I really can't help you. I'm sorry. Why don't you try and talk to Marcus yourself?"

"I have been trying. He will not listen to me. He has closed his heart to me," she said sadly before seeming to shake herself out of it and looking back at her solemnly. The scene changed again.

They were in a grand golden hall. With a start, Anna saw the figure of herself standing next to Marcus on a podium with three thrones. She had blood red eyes and her movements were as graceful and ethereal as the other vampires. There were three oddly yellow-eyed vampires in front of them, holding a nondescript looking box.

"Anna! Run," she heard her mate call. She saw herself look torn between him and the vampires with strangely coloured eyes. She didn't have long to think, however, as she saw the box explode. Everything was on fire, although it seemed as if herself and the grey-eyed woman were in some sort of protective bubble, only able to watch and listen to the carnage.

She heard Dora screeching and saw Sulpicia reach out for Aro before they were all engulfed in the flames. The last thing she saw was Marcus pressing his lips against her own cold, dead vampiric ones before she sat up in bed, heaving out a gasp and clutching her chest where she had felt a wrenching pain at the sight of her mate being torn apart by the explosion.

He was beside her, looking at her with concern as he purred to try and calm her. He was okay. It was just a dream. He wasn't hurt, she wasn't dead, there was no blood bank warehouse. Everything was fine. It was just a dream.

"Beloved, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

She looked at him in shock for a minute before she flung herself into his arms. "Yes," she panted, inhaling his scent deeply. "It was just a dream."

He held her trembling body close, wrapping his arms tightly around her to secure her in his embrace.

She could not go back to sleep, didn't want to face the horrors of that strange, unsettling dream again, so she squeezed him tighter, seeking out the comfort he offered until she saw the sun begin to rise.

* * *

Later that day, Anna found herself yawning and regretting her lack of sleep in an extremely posh looking Chanel boutique while Dora prattled off the exact fits and measurements that Anna should be wearing to the attendant. Marcus, Caius, and Aro had stepped out to browse some of the other shops, apparently possessing a greater sense of self-preservation than she did, while Dora reigned her terror upon the unsuspecting sales associates.

They had been in that large, spacious dressing room for over an hour now and Anna was sure she was going to lose her mind if Dora didn't finish this shopping trip soon. There were only so many fitted skirt suits and dresses she could try on before she screamed.

She jumped when there was a knock on the door and she saw Dora's eyes roll as she huffed. "Come in, Marcus."

Anna felt a flash of hope. Was he finally coming to save her? Her mate stepped into the dressing room and she felt a blush rush over her face as she saw him blatantly checking her out in the sheer slip she was wearing.

"It is noon. You half a half hour and then I am coming to retrieve my mate so I may feed her," he said, his eyes not leaving Anna.

"Half an hour? But she still needs to try on shoes and-"

"Half an hour," he said, finally tearing his eyes away from Anna's breasts to sternly look at Dora.

"Fine, but it is not my fault if your mate's summer wardrobe is not complete! Now where did that blasted woman go? Humans are so useless sometimes-" her eyes widened as she realized what she just said and she quickly looked to Anna. "I'm so sorry, sister, I did not mean-"

"It's fine," Anna said with a blush. "I know what you meant."

Marcus scowled at Dora for her careless words. "Half an hour," he said again before leaving.

"I really did not-"

"Please, Dora, it's fine. Let's not make a big deal out of it."

The blonde woman nodded, although Anna noticed that she was considerably quieter for the rest of the shopping trip.

Unbeknownst to them, a man and woman sat on a bench outside the boutique and observing the vampires' interactions, looking conspicuously out of place with their queer appearances and towering height. Despite this, mortals and immortals alike passed them by without notice, their eyes moving right over them as if they were invisible.

"She will not listen," he said. "You tried, Pallas. Let me fix this."

The woman looked heartbroken. "I was so sure…"

"I know. You have a thoughtful heart, just like your mother did."

"I do not have a mother," the woman said, her eyes flashing warningly.

He raised a brow at her, slightly mockingly. "I suppose I just _dreamt_ I had that cousin then, and perhaps I just _dreamt_ that your father slaughtered her, as he did the rest of my family."

He saw rage growing within her and he sighed. "Now is not the time for this. You know I would never harm the girl and I will try to spare your Athenian."

"Fine," the woman finally acquiesced after a few minutes of silence passed. She looked incredibly distressed about her decision. "Do what you feel you must. But if you harm him, I will ensure you stay dead next time."

* * *

When it came time for lunch, Marcus led her to a sleek black Aston Martin with cherry undertones which he deftly drove out of the city, entering an area that looked to be more residential. He would not tell her where they were going despite her questioning, insisting it was a surprise.

Finally, he pulled into a small, old, but well-kept looking inn which was entirely deserted. She looked at him in confusion, although he merely smiled a secret smile and told her to be patient as he brought her through a side gate leading into a courtyard.

Her breath caught at the sight. They were back overlooking the water, although at a higher elevation so she could see the entirety of the harbour. There was a border wall that would come up to her mid-chest to protect her from falling down the cliff to her death, but still allowed a beautiful view of the water.

There was a charmingly set table where she saw her lunch was waiting and felt tears prickling her eyes at how thoughtful he was. He knew how much she loved the water, and how much she hated the crowds and unfamiliarity of the city, so he had given her the best of both worlds.

"Marcus…" she whispered. "This is perfect."

He purred, pleased at her happiness, and led her to the table, pulling the chair out and tucking it back in when she was seated. He placed her napkin in her lap before taking the seat across from her, warmth practically radiating from his eyes.

"Eat," he said, when he saw she looked more inclined to emote than feed herself. "Or I will be forced to feed you," he said with a suggestive purr.

She didn't need any more encouragement than that to dig into the beautifully plated Nicoise salad in front of her. When she was finished, she found herself wandering over to the wall to look at the harbour. The water was perfectly blue, glistening slightly in the noonday sun, and the boats moored there looked almost like toys from this elevation.

She felt Marcus come up behind her, his hands coming to grasp her hips as his chin rested on her head. It only took a few moments before she felt his erection growing, an obvious response to their proximity and she fought a grin that threatened to spread on her face.

"We're in public," she scolded.

"We are on our own private property," he corrected.

She turned to look at him in surprise, "Since when do you own an inn in Nice?"

"Since this morning," he said, his gaze smouldering as it wandered over her lips and down to her breasts, which he could see clearly down the neckline of her dress from this angle.

Her breath caught as she felt him press himself more firmly against her and one of his hands wandered to the front of her pelvis, palming her sex through the material of her dress.

She couldn't form coherent arguments when he touched her like that, and her voice died in her mouth as he began moving it against her.

Suddenly the material which had been separating them was lifted out of the way and she felt him tugging her panties carelessly to the side to press his still-covered erection against her bare skin. She gasped at the feel of the slightly rough fabric of his pants dragging against the delicate flesh between her thighs and they both groaned. The next thing she knew, she heard his fly being unzipped and the material of his pants were replaced by his smooth, marble-like flesh.

"Wait, Marcus-"

His cock dragged up and down her clenching slit. "Relax, beloved. Let me in."

Her breath caught in her throat as she felt the impossibly broad head of him against her opening. She let out a strangled whimper as she felt him pressing inside of her. He felt so much larger this way and she had already had enough difficulty taking him when she was bent over the last time when she was already wet and relaxed.

And now, she was already so tense at the thought that they may get caught, and he had not even smoothed the way with any preparation or time to build her arousal, and she didn't know how she would manage it. She felt him give another small thrust and another inch was forced inside of her tensing flesh.

She couldn't take the sensation. The pain of the too large and too soon intrusion, the pleasure of him pressing against that sweet spot inside of her and his fingers drawing circles on her clit, the fear and almost giddy anticipation at the thought of being caught… it was too much.

She almost yelped when she felt him thrust again, but he brought his hand to cover her mouth and stifle it.

"Shhh," he soothed. "Relax. You can take it. No one will see or hear us. You know I would not allow that."

The hand left her mouth when she quieted and drifted to her chest to tug her dress down. He pulled her breasts out of the thin lace cups of her bra so he could he tease her straining, sensitive nipples, rolling them between his thumb and forefinger. She bit her lip to keep from making a sound and squeezed her eyes shut, feeling as if she was already on the verge of orgasm and he wasn't even fully inside of her yet.

She could feel herself growing wetter, her arousal seeping over his cock and easing his way into her as she felt her desire overtaking her fear. He could feel it as well, and he gave a few more hard thrusts to encase himself to the hilt, now that the passage had grown slicker within her quivering body. He let out a low groan in her ear and she felt his hips shuddering against her, his hand pinching her nipple even harder.

" _Restrictissimam est…_ oh, my sweet mate… _te tantum amo… pucherrima…"_ His words were barely more than a growl in her ear. And then she felt him ease himself out of her, hardly more than an inch, before he slammed his length back inside of her with a passion that bordered on violence.

She only barely contained her yelp at the feeling, although she couldn't stop a small squeak as the breath was forced out of her lungs. He released her nipple and flattened against her, pushing her upper body against the wall and pulling her hips further out so she was oddly off balance. Her face and bared breasts were digging into the harsh stone of the wall but she hardly noticing it in lieu of his thrusting hips and the feeling of him filling her.

The hand on her clitoris didn't stop it's circles and his palm braced against her pelvis while the other came to clasp her stomach, holding her steady as he began fucking her in short, brutal thrusts. She placed one hand against the wall and the other grabbed the hand which was holding her abdomen steady in the position he desired her in, clutching it like a lifeline.

So overwhelmed with sensation, she felt her orgasm starting much sooner than she expected… her sex began rippling over his thrusting cock as she drenched him in more of her arousal. He didn't slow his thrusts or grant her any reprieve to ride out the waves that were overtaking her, he merely continued propelling himself into her clenching sheathe until she didn't know her own name. The orgasm seemed to continue building with every thrust rather than peaking and she quickly became mindless from pleasure.

She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and she immediately heard him snarl in her ear as he caught the scent. She felt his cock twitch and shudder inside of her, spilling his seed within her as the scent of her blood sent him into his release. She whimpered as this new sensation and the sound of the predatory growl set off another orgasm, finally peaking and petering off and leaving her limp in his arms. She knew she would've fallen to her knees and slid down the wall if it wasn't for his hands holding her up, supporting her.

He withdrew from her carefully, his gentleness directly in contrast to the harsh way he had taken her, and turned her around so her back was pressed against the wall. She heard him deftly tuck himself back in his pants and zip them up, but she could not tear her eyes away from his to watch.

His eyes, which before had been a dark red, were now pitch black, the pupils fully blending in with the irises. Those predatory eyes were fixed on her bleeding lip, making her shudder at the side of Marcus she so rarely saw. And yet she didn't feel unsafe, did not feel an urge to run the way she had the last time a vampire had been thirsting for her blood. Even with his bloodlust, she knew Marcus would never pose a real threat to her.

Another growl rumbled out of him, although this one was much closer to his usual soothing purr than the terrifying snarl from before. He slowly leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, no different from a usual kiss except that his tongue immediately darted out to swipe across her lip and taste the blood that had bubbled there.

Their eyes remained open, locked on each other as he did this. From how close they were, Anna could see the way the irises had begun to swirl and shift infinitesimally in that strangely hypnotic and entirely predatory way.

He moaned at the taste of her, the same way he did when he was buried inside of her, and his eyes closed as he savoured the taste of her. She shivered again, although this time with renewed arousal rather than fear.

They broke apart and she could see his eyes flitting down to her lip every few seconds, although neither spoke. She couldn't resist the urge to nervously run her own tongue over the wound and, without warning, he quickly grabbed her hair, tilting her head back, and began ravishing her lips again, as if he couldn't resist the temptation.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she felt her own hands gripping him, pulling herself closer to his body and responding to the renewed ferocity of his kiss. They broke apart with him kissing down her jawline until he reached her ear, sucking kisses behind it as he growled, "Your taste is exquisite, my darling."

She gasped at his words and tilted her head for him, offering more of her neck to kiss. She felt him chuckle against her at her actions and, blushingly, she realized the implications of what she'd done.

He pressed one last chaste kiss to the offered flesh and then released her, taking a step back when he was sure she was steady. He stared at her breasts, still thrusting out of the bra and her dress pulled down beneath them. She quickly readjusted it, her blush deepening. He assisted her in straightening her clothes, pulling the skirt of her dress back down and straightening her panties, his hands lingering on her ass and breasts as he made sure she was presentable.

She knew every vampire would be able to smell what they had just done, but she was grateful he ensured that at least it did not look so obvious.

She jumped when a buzzing came from the pocket of his pants and she saw his eyes immediately darken as they quickly retrieved his phone and looked to the device for the meaning of the intrusion.

His face darkened further at whatever he saw and he looked at her apologetically, "I must respond to this. I will not be far."

He disappeared suddenly and she jumped, having forgotten how unsettling their speed could be. As soon as he was out of her sight, she suddenly felt bereft at his quick departure and cursed herself for being a stereotypical girl who needed to cuddle after sex.

She winced a little as she walked back over to the table, feeling more than a little sore after her mate's savagery. With dread, she noticed that, along with this physical pain, there was also the feeling of foreboding and fear that she had come to associate with Marcus' absence. Why could she not have a few moments of peace to just bask in the post-coital bliss?

She shivered as the primal feeling built quickly until she was nearly trembling and about to call out for Marcus. She tried to remind herself that he had said this was just the strain of the bond and nothing for her to be concerned about, considering her mate was only a few feet away and would be back momentarily, when she suddenly noticed a burst of flame out of the corner of her eye. And then he appeared. The strangely jaundiced looking man from the hotel lobby. He was standing a few feet to the left of her, apparently having appeared out of nowhere in a flash of fire.

He had a disturbingly grim look on his face as he walked towards her. A scream built in her throat as her fear turned to full blown terror, but it was immediately stifled as he covered her mouth with his hand. Another sudden gust of fire burst around them and she felt panic building that she was going to be burned alive. Instead of scorching her, it merely surrounded her, tickling her gently. And then suddenly the jaundiced man was taking her arm in a firm grip and it all went dark

* * *

Translations:

Restrictissimam est: It is so tight

Te tantum amo: I love you so much

Pulcherrima: so beautiful

* * *

 

Glossary:

Peplos: The traditional dress worn by women in Ancient Greece. It was a floor length rectangular garment which was generally pinned at the shoulders and folded over to drape at the waist.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This chapter was so long! I broke a new record with over 6k words but there was just so much that had to happen and I wanted to give you guys one last steamy, grabby, growly smut scene before everything goes to hell. I hope it wasn't too rough for you all but I can't imagine the Volturi being entirely housebroken. They may have a soft spot for their mates but they are still violent bloodthirsty vampires and have a few rough edges
> 
> Anyways, are our two mystery guests driving you crazy yet? Who the hell are they and where are they taking Anna? I kinda feel bad for putting her through all of this but remember I did promise you all a HEA… eventually


	25. Chapter 25

Anna's body was sore, as if she hadn't moved in a while, and her head ached. She couldn't remember what had happened the previous evening to make her feel this way… had Dora and Sulpicia gotten her drunk again? She wiggled, seeking out the comfort of Marcus but only found a cushioned back, rather than the erection that her mate usually started pressing against her as soon as she was partially conscious.

Her eyes flashed open. She was on a surprisingly soft and comfortable couch and someone had covered her in a thick blanket. The room she was in looked like an incredibly cozy and welcoming office, filled with all kinds of interesting looking books and a grand desk tucked beneath a window with heavy drapes drawn over it that didn't fully cover the bright morning light she could see shining outside.

It didn't look like any part of the castle she had been to. In fact, it looked like a modern house from the dark hardwood floors to the minimalistic moulding around the window. She felt herself begin to panic. She had never been here before and she had no idea where it was. She was suddenly reminded in a vivid flashback of the jaundiced man seizing her before she blacked out as they were surrounded by that strange fire. She could only assume that he had brought here, wherever it was. And that meant she was in danger.

She needed to get back to her mate. She didn't know where that strange, yellow man had brought her or why, and she didn't care. She had already been kidnapped by an insane psychopath once and she wouldn't do that again. Marcus had promised her he would always come back to her and she held onto that hope as she steeled herself to get back to him as well.

She tried to push herself off the couch, but her body felt heavy and sore as if she was getting over a flu, and her head was buzzing, making her thoughts oddly sluggish. The soreness between her legs was especially acute, but that reminder of her mate only bolstered her, rather than stopping her. She took a deep breath and braced herself before heaving into a sitting position. She immediately collapsed against the back of the couch from the strain, her head swimming now from the sudden change in position.

She nearly shrieked when, no sooner had she fallen against the cushions, there was a sudden knock at the door. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest in fear for what fresh hell might be on the other side of the door, knowing it likely wasn't good. Good people rarely resorted to kidnapping.

The person seemed to pause for a minute, as if waiting for a response, before slowly opening the door. Anna was about to burst into tears from the panic that was quickly building, but her eyes dried as her shock overtook her when she saw a woman walk in.

She had a kind smile on her face and a distinctly maternal demeanor. Her caramel coloured hair and sweet, beautiful face would've put Anna immediately at ease in any other scenario. She looked to be in her mid-20's, although Anna knew that it was a lie. From the deathly pale skin and unnatural grace, she immediately knew this was a vampire. She could be 1000 years old for all Anna knew.

Except her eyes… instead of the red vampire eyes Anna had grown accustomed to, they were yellow… just like the vampires in her dream. Her panic seemed to overcome her shock once again as her mind made the connection.

The woman was carrying a tray of food but she immediately set it down on the desk when she saw Anna's fear. She made her way over to panicking human, holding her hands up soothingly as if she was trying to console her.

"Shhh, don't cry. There is no need to be scared. We won't hurt you. We want to help you," she said soothingly. She halted immediately when she saw her approach was sending the human girl even further into hysteria.

"Please," she blubbered. "Where is my mate? Please, I need Marcus."

The woman paused and frowned, clearly not expecting this response. "You… want to return to Marcus?"

"Please," Anna pleaded through her tears. "He'll give you whatever you want, I'm sure of it."

"We are not holding you as a hostage for ransom," the woman said, sounding upset by the idea.

"Then please let me call him! I just need to talk to him! Please… he'll be so worried," Anna pleaded with the woman, who was becoming increasingly more confused. She hadn't expected this human girl to want to return to the Volturi. Surely she should be thankful to be saved from them.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that just now," she said uncertainly. "How about you eat your lunch and we can discuss this after?"

Anna tried to contain her sobbing, knowing this response was as good as she was going to get. It wasn't a straight no, so she would take it.

The woman looked relieved as she calmed and retrieved the tray again, placing it gently in Anna's lap. It was a bowl of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich with a glass of milk. Such simple, American food, she almost began crying again. She loved the gourmet food Marcus fed her, but she couldn't deny that she had missed this as well.

The woman sat at the desk and watched her eat with a soft smile on her face. Anna was uncomfortably aware of her presence, still not fond of anyone except her mate watching her eat, but she forced the food down anyways. She would need to keep her strength if she was going to make it back to him and already she could feel the fuzziness of her head subsiding as she received the nourishment her body sorely needed. Who knew how long she had been unconscious? She knew she couldn't let herself succumb to the despair building in her chest. She had to keep her strength.

When she was finished, the woman took the tray and told Anna that if she felt up to it, she could meet her husband and they could discuss Anna calling her mate. She was immediately off the couch, her need to communicate with Marcus overcoming her fear for any new vampires she may encounter.

She could feel the tug of the bond against her soul, which was now only an ache but the last time they had been separated it had swiftly become that searing, ripping pain that had sent her into oblivion. She would not last long away from him and she knew it. She could feel her desperation rising inside of her as she considered how long she could survive before the strain of the bond killed her.

The woman led her out of the office and down a hallway that was lined with other closed doors. They went down a flight of stairs, and then another, leading Anna to wonder if all vampires lived in colossal fortresses.

The ground floor was a massive open concept mansion with one entire wall made up of floor to ceiling windows. She could that they were surrounded by trees in the middle of a forest, except it didn't look like a European forest… these trees were green and lush and it was raining lightly.

"Where are we?" she asked the woman.

"We're in Washington state, dear," she answered in her soft voice, carrying the tray to a kitchen where she began quickly and efficiently washing the dishes.

"We're not in France anymore?"

The idea sent a shock of fear through her. They weren't even on the same continent anymore. Would Marcus even know where to start looking? The tugging on her soul increased and the ache became more pronounced.

"No," answered a voice behind her, although it wasn't the woman's. Anna jumped, a shriek forcing its way out of her throat in surprise at the sound.

The man had appeared a few feet away from her and he raised his hands in a placating manner when he saw her panic. "I apologize, I did not mean to startle you."

Anna's hand clutched her chest where it felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest, staring at the source of the voice. He was tall, with honey blonde hair and a similarly kind smile and demeanor to the woman.

"My name is Carlisle. I believe you have met my wife, Esme. Please do not be alarmed, I assure you we do not mean you any harm."

"Then please return me to Marcus," she entreated for what felt like the hundredth time. "I don't know what you want or why you took me but I'm sure we can work it out, whatever it is."

"We did not take you," the man corrected. "We are merely… safeguarding you. Everything will be explained in time."

Anna felt her frustration and panic growing. "Look, Carlisle, I don't know who you are, but my mate is one of the Volturi kings and he's going to be pissed when he finds me. And he will eventually, I'm sure of it. I'm sure you'll make it easier on yourself if you just bring me to him now," she said with a confidence she didn't feel.

She saw a small smile on his face as he responded, "I am sure he will be pissed, as you say, and he does use the title of king. But he is no true king, so I do not fear him."

Anna nearly screamed as she heard him virtually echo the strange words of the grey-eyed woman in her dream. "What does that even mean?"

He paused for a moment, as if considering the question.

"A king is meant to rule their own people, to bring order and justice, however all the Volturi care about in recent centuries is themselves. They have given up on their duties," he explained patiently. She looked at him in confusion. Sure, they had spent the last week on vacation and before that Marcus had spent nearly all his time with her, but Caius and Aro seemed like they were constantly leaving some meeting or another. Before she could wonder further, Carlisle continued.

"The southern vampire wars went on for a century before they got involved, killing thousands of humans. 75 years ago, an Austrian coven went to war with a Polish one, killing thousands again, and yet they did not get involved until it caught the humans' notice. And just last year a vampire amassed an army in Seattle intent on decimating us for our claim on this territory, and yet the Volturi once again did not get involved. It was my own coven who stopped her. The Volturi use the title of king, but they do not accept the responsibility that comes with it," he sounded so passionate, bordering on angry about this injustice that it made Anna pause for a moment.

"And how am I supposed to help with this? I have nothing to do with their business ventures, let alone policing vampires."

The man's face went strangely blank. "You are not supposed to help. You are the catalyst."

"What does that mean?" She asked, a sinking feeling in her stomach. It sounded strangely ominous, especially considering the way his face had emptied of all emotion before he said it.

He was saved from answering when the front door suddenly burst open and five teenagers clamored into the house, all slightly damp from the rain and laughing and chatting boisterously. They stopped in their tracks when they saw Anna, completely eerily still like marble statues, and it seemed as if time stood still for a moment.

A tiny pixie of a girl with black spiky hair broke the silence and skipped over to her, holding out her hand. "Hi! I'm Alice," she said in a chipper, soprano voice.

Anna looked at the offered hand as if it had grown five thumbs and didn't take it, holding her own arms stiffly at her sides. The girl shrugged at the reaction, seemingly unfazed as she withdrew her hand.

"Don't freak out, he's friendly," she said in a playfully warning tone as she skipped back over to where the other teenage-looking vampires were standing. Anna was about to ask what the strange girl meant when she was suddenly swept off her feet into a giant bear hug by a giant bear of a man.

"Anna!" he exclaimed, "It's so great to finally meet you! We've been waiting _ages!_ He said you were-"

"Emmett," Carlisle said in a warning tone, stopping whatever he was about to say.

"Sorry Dad," the giant said with a goofy grin, not sounding very sorry at all. He finally put Anna's stiff, resisting body back on the floor and released his hold on her, giving her a pat on the soldier that almost buckled her knees.

She looked over to the other three people who hadn't mauled her. They were still standing where they had been before, not moving a muscle and she took a moment to study them. There was a blonde woman who was achingly beautiful in a movie starlet sort of way with an hourglass figure that Anna would've killed for, who currently had a deep, angry scowl on her face.

The other two were men, around the same height and with a similar facial structure and build, although one was blonde and looked almost constipated with the strain on his face while the other had coppery hair. Both were frowning at her, although the bronze haired one looked more like she was some sort of puzzle he was trying to piece together.

They all had the same strange golden eyes.

"Who _are_ you?" Anna asked, feeling incredibly unsettled, although she couldn't exactly identify why.

"This is my family," Carlisle said. "As I said, you do not need to fear us. We will not harm you."

"Why are all of your eyes…" her voice trailed off, unsure of how to complete the sentence.

"We do not feed from human blood, which is what makes our eyes red," Esme offered gently. "So you see, you truly have nothing to fear us. You do not have to worry about us harming you."

"You don't…? But how… what…?"

"We only drink the blood of animals," Carlisle said.

Anna felt as if she was in shock. Her mind was still moving sluggishly since she woke up and it seemed to be having trouble processing this information.

"This has been a trying day, why don't I take you to your room so you can rest?" Esme offered, seeing that the human was quickly becoming overwhelmed. The girl didn't respond, although she followed Esme back up the stairs without argument.

She brought Anna back to the third floor to one of their guest rooms with a bathroom attached, which they had prepared for her while she was sleeping. She showed Anna where there were some borrowed clothes in the dresser and toiletries in the bathroom in case she wanted to bathe and then left, closing the door quietly behind her.

Anna took the relative privacy to try and ground herself. She felt as if she were in some sort of strange dream or an alternate reality that couldn't wake up from. The tugging of the bond was becoming more intense, reminding Anna of her yearning for her mate. She so badly wanted the comfort and security he offered. The tugging became sharper and she felt tears prickling in her eyes from the pain and emotional strain.

Within seconds she was reduced to sobs, collapsing on the strange bed and curling into a ball as she let her fear overcome her. Marcus would save her. She had to believe that or she was sure she would go mad. Finally,sometime later, she exhausted herself and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

"What do you mean you cannot locate her? _WHERE THE FUCK IS SHE?_ "

Demetri had to resist the urge to cower in front of the enraged king. Marcus had returned hours ago, not even bothering to use a car as a cover and hardly moving at a human pace as he burst into Aro and Sulpicia's room, tearing the door off the hinges in the process, bellowing that his mate had been taken. He had only descended further into his rage since then, although even that could not cover the scent of fear on him.

None of them could figure out exactly how it could have happened. He had only stepped inside the kitchen of the old inn where they had been lunching to answer the call of Felix, who had noticed the scent of a strange vampire in Nice. He was hardly out of eyesight and certainly not out of hearing range, and yet somehow, she had disappeared.

Even what he heard did not make sense. He reported that his mate's heartrate had increased as if in fear, then there was a rustling as if there was a light struggle, and then nothing. Absolute silence. No footsteps or jumping. Nothing.

They had scoured the cliff side, swam the depths of the harbour, searched all over the city and surrounding area, and yet there was no trace of her. Her scent did not trail in any direction, as if she had truly disappeared into thin air.

The fact that they could uncover no trail, even a cold one, was driving the oldest king into a mad frenzy in his need to recover the fragile human, especially since her gift prevented Demetri from tracking her.

"I am sorry, my king," he said, keeping his voice from trembling. "We will find her, though-"

"You do not know that," Marcus seethed, his voice ice cold. "Get out of my sight before I burn you where you stand."

From the bond, he could feel an echo of the fear and despair of his mate. He tried sending her love and reassurance through it, needing her to know that he would come to her and not to be afraid, however the bond was too weak to communicate the feelings strongly enough for her to accept it while she was so deeply entrenched within her own feelings of sorrow.

Eventually he felt her despair peak and then disperse into a relative peace, and he assumed she had cried herself to sleep. He felt as if his own soul was going to be torn apart by the bond's need to locate her and offer her the comfort that he knew she could only find from him.

His sweet human mate had been through too much already in her short life. He had promised her that he would protect her from further harm, and he had failed her once again. He felt his own despair growing. Within moments, Sulpicia was at his side, smoothing a hand down a trembling harm and wrapping her arms around him in a comforting embrace.

"Shhh, Marcus, we will find her. I know this in my heart. She will be okay," he heard her whisper and she began purring.

"Whoever has done this will regret it," he heard Caius agree, having entered the room silently, his presence lending Marcus strength.

Soon, the entire family had congregated in the room, silently offering their comfort as Marcus tried to keep a tenuous hold on his sanity.

* * *

Anna awoke in the unfamiliar guest bedroom and felt her despair rekindle as she realized that the past day hadn't just been a nightmare. She felt herself descending into tears again as she desperately missed the feeling of waking in her mate's arms. She missed his gentle purr, the way he took care of all her physical needs before she was even aware of them, and his soothing presence that always accompanied her wherever she went…

She felt as if she would be destroyed by the sharpness of her longing and the tearing feeling of the bond that was ripping her apart in his absence. She heard the bedroom door open, although she couldn't summon the energy to look up. She hugged herself harder and curled up into a tighter ball.

"Anna?" Esme's voice sounded so tentative and uncertain it was almost amusing, considering she was the powerful immortal holding Anna hostage from her mate. "Are you hungry? You slept the whole afternoon and night. I brought you some breakfast."

Anna didn't respond, refusing to acknowledge her. After a few moments, she heard the woman place the tray on the bedside table and leave the room. She forced herself to sit up and pick at the food, hardly tasting it but refusing to allow herself to waste away before her mate returned.

Then she went back to bed.

A day passed. Then another. Esme brought her food, tried to cajole her into talking, and left. Anna only left the bed to attend to her human needs and immediately returned to it, yearning for the sweet escape of sleep where she could dream of Marcus.

The cycle was broken when one day, instead of Esme bringing her food, she was replaced by the beautiful scowling blonde woman. This new arrival didn't try to reassure Anna with a gentle voice or offer to bring her downstairs if she wanted a change of scenery. Instead, she sat on the bed next to Anna as if they were old friends, making herself comfortable and staring down at the miserable, huddling human.

"I know what you're going through, but you can't just hide away in bed forever," her voice was hard and straightforward, yet not entirely unkind.

Anna didn't respond. She knew what Anna was going through? How could she possibly know what she was feeling? She closed her eyes and willed the woman to leave her in peace once more.

"Men can be foul, horrible creatures, and I'm sure the Volturi are even worse than most, but you don't need to be afraid of our family. We protect humans, and my brothers would _never_ hurt a woman."

She wasn't making any sense. Anna missed Marcus, she wasn't afraid of him. She still didn't respond though, hoping her silence would make the woman leave the way it did with Esme.

It seemed to have the opposite effect, however. Impatient with the lack of response, she tore the blankets off Anna and grabbed her by the shoulder, forcing her to sit up.

"I need to show you something. You can wallow later."

She shuddered from the cold, rough hand on her, immediately wanting to shrug it off, and narrowed her eyes at the yellow-eyed vampire. "What do you want? Who _are_ you?"

"My name is Rosalie and if you come with me, I'll show you," she spoke slowly as if she was speaking to an especially dense toddler.

Anna looked at her suspiciously.

The blonde rolled her eyes and then softened slightly. "Look, I get it. When I was human, my fiancé and his friends, they… they were disgusting men and they did disgusting things to me. But I will stay by your side the entire time. I won't allow anyone else to hurt you. You won't be locked in some tower ever again-"

Finally, Anna's incredulity overpowered her desire to be left in peace.

"You think… what? You think Marcus _raped_ me? You think _he_ locked me up?" She nearly laughed at the absurdity. "You're fucking insane. Marcus has never hurt me. He saved me from the man who _did_ kidnap andrape me. He protected me and helped me to heal and has only ever been patient and kind with me."

That seemed to make the woman pause. "He didn't…?"

"No!" Anna nearly yelled. "Is that why you think you're _protecting_ me? You think he was hurting me? He wasn't! Keeping me from him is what's going to kill me."

The blonde looked as if she didn't know how to respond and a moment later there was polite knock at the door, making Anna flinch. What could they possibly want now? The kind looking blonde man – Carlisle – let himself in a moment later when he got no response from either woman.

"I apologize for my intrusion, I could not help but hear your voices," he looked overly apologetic as he explained himself before turning to Anna. "What do you mean keeping you from Marcus is going to kill you?"

Anna debated with herself over whether she should tell him. If he truly meant her harm, he would know that he could hold this over her. But maybe if they did truly think they were helping, this would convince them to return her to him?

"When Marcus and I were separated for a couple days before, the strain of the bond was so intense I think it drove me into a coma. I'm pretty sure it would eventually have killed me if he hadn't returned soon enough. It certainly felt like I was dying."

"You two have a fully formed bond?" This seemed to surprise him.

"I guess? He says it's strained, but I think it's fully formed, yes," she didn't want to admit that they'd consummated it if that's what he was asking, especially considering they thought he had abused her.

"That changes things," he murmured quietly.

"It changes nothing, Carlisle. We will continue on as instructed," blondie said.

"Rosalie-"

"No, Carlisle! This is important. We cannot go back now. Come on, Anna. Get up."

Carlisle's seeming change of heart had bolstered Anna's confidence to get some answers. "How do you know my name? Where is the man who brought me here?"

The blonde woman looked like her patience were quickly running thin and she was about to snap but Carlisle placed a calming hand on her arm.

"He was no man, Anna. He was an angel. He was the one who told us your name, and he said if you knew what was at stake, you may understand and be willing to help us," Carlisle said gently.

"An _angel?"_

"Yes, I'm sure you noticed he was… different. He wants to help you, protect you," he assured.

"There's no such thing as angels," Anna said immediately.

"Just as there is no such thing as vampires?"

"I- well-"

"I know you are unsure, but I also know you must believe in them. Otherwise you would not have been able to see them. They want to protect you, and… correct the balance," he said carefully.

Anna felt her unease growing again at his careful evasion but she didn't say anything. "And how am I helping to correct this balance? What does being a 'catalyst' even mean?"

He paused for a minute. "Rosalie is right. This is something you must see."

Anna got out of the bed, feeling incredibly unstable on her feet after her days of languishing in bed but willing to do whatever it would take to appease these people so they would return her to Marcus.

They led her back to the ground floor where the rest of the yellow-eyed vampires she had seen were sitting on couches around a TV. Alongside them, however, were two shirtless russet-skinned Native American men.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Sorry for the long delay in posting this chapter! I've had a family emergency I've been dealing with and summer classes started up again so I haven't had a lot of free time. The next couple chapters might not be every week either, but I almost have this fic entirely written so don't despair! I won't abandon you! And happy Victoria Day to anyone else in the Commonwealth :)

Anna paused in shock. This was certainly not what she was expecting to findwhen Carlisle and Rosalie had said she needed to see something to help her understand _._ She looked over at them incredulously. What could two half naked men possibly do to make her understand anything?

"Anna, this is Jacob Black and Sam Uley. Jacob, Sam, this is Anna. She is the mate of Marcus Volturi," Carlisle said, introducing them politely and ignoring the look on her face.

She looked back at the two shirtless men. They were both giants. Even while sitting she could see they were toweringly tall and extraordinarily bulky; they almost made her own heavily sculpted mate look somewhat average in comparison.

"This… is what you want to show me? _This_ is what you need help with?"

Her incredulity must have bled through into her tone because Carlisle smiled slightly, although the two shirtless men just scowled at her. She felt a frisson of primal fear go through her and felt the ache of the bond more acutely, wishing Marcus was there beside her, protecting her and making her feel safe and comforted.

"Come sit," he invited her, gesturing to a couch across from the two men.

"I'll stand, thank you," she said sourly, not wanting to put herself in a vulnerable position across from the two men that were making her increasingly uneasy. It was as if something instinctual within her was crying out that they were a threat, although in a strangely different way than vampires were. She did not feel so much like prey as defensive.

He looked at her in understanding and didn't argue as he took a seat himself. "I know you think you know Marcus-," he began.

"I do know my mate."

He smiled gently at her interruption but continued on as if she hadn't said anything, "-but I do not think you can possibly understand the politics of our world. The Volturi have historically had a very black and white way of looking at law and justice, and ultimately a decision comes down to their whim.

I lived with them for a century, and I can tell you that their whims are not always just. And I fear now, especially in this case, it cannot be. So I hope you will understand why we must do this and why we are seeking to… correct this balance."

He wasn't making any sense. She had no idea what they were doing, or the reason why… or how they were seeking to "correct this balance," whatever it was, in the first place. They kept telling her vague, empty words that explained nothing.

He saw her obvious confusion and addressed one of the shirtless men, "Jacob? Outside, if you wouldn't mind?"

The man stood up and stalked out a sliding glass door that was well hidden in the wall of windows. He stepped off the deck and into the yard while the rest of the vampires and the other Aboriginal man followed him, with Anna trailing behind uncertainly. The others watched disinterestedly as Jacob stripped out of the cut off jean shorts he was wearing, as if it were something they saw every day.

Anna immediately looked away, her cheeks flaming at the gall of him to strip in front of these people in broad daylight. Her eyes immediately snapped back toward him when she heard the sudden snapping of bones, a rustling of hair, and then a strange _thump_ as something heavy landed on the ground.

When she looked back, where the man used to be standing, there was now a huge russet coloured wolf. She felt her jaw drop.

"Oh my god," she muttered, her eyes likely as large as dinner plates and she was sure her expression of shock must be comical.

"Jacob and Sam are shifters, part of a pack that trace their lineage back thousands of years," Carlisle explained. Although she knew she was being impolite, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the massive creature that had just appeared to look at the man who was speaking to her.

"When the Volturi find out about them, they'll massacre the entire pack, and the tribe as well, just to rid themselves of the threat. They have very strict laws about dealing with natural predators. They drove lycanthropes almost to extinction, and I understand they finally succeeded in annihilating the last pack hiding in Serbia just last week."

Anna's shock turned to horror as she was suddenly reminded of the horrific news story she had read on the drive to the yacht… of that entire town that had been massacred and razed. She tore her eyes away from the wolf to look at him sharply. "Serbia… last week…?"

He looked at her sympathetically. "Ah, so you did hear about that. Yes, that was your mate and his brothers, Anna. They murdered an entire town so they could eliminate the lycanthrope pack and the vampires who were travelling with them."

"But… no… they wouldn't… no…"

Her stomach was turning at the thought. She couldn't process the information. Her mate would never do that… he couldn't. Marcus was so kind and gentle. She couldn't imagine him condoning something like that. Her head was spinning.

"So you see why something must be done. This pack does not deserve to be hunted down like animals as a trophy just so the Volturi may continue doing as they please with impunity," Carlisle said. "Something must be done to stop this."

Anna shook her head, although not in disagreement. She was still reeling in shock and unable to voice a reply. The tugging on the bond brought her out of her stupor, grounding her once more. The pain was almost blinding as she felt the yearning for Marcus growing, even amidst her shock, but she tried to ignore it.

"I understand," she said quietly. "So how do you plan to ensure justice?"

"The Seraph says he will bring them here and we will… talk."

The mention of this "angel" again and way Carlisle said "talk" instantly put her on edge.

"The same _angel_ who kidnapped me? And took me from Marcus?"

"He only wanted to protect you, Anna."

"How do I know he won't hurt my mate or family?" She asked, her voice starting to sound slightly hysterical.

"That is what you are worried about? Your bloodsucking murderous leaches? After all you just heard about what they've done? We have mates as well, and children, and elders. Do you not care what your precious family will do to them?" The wolf had transformed back into a man and was pulling his shorts on. He sounded enraged.

"Of course I do," Anna said in a wounded tone. "I don't want anyone to be hurt… I-I'll try to talk to them, make them understand, it doesn't have to be like this-"

"It's too late for that," Carlisle said. "I only wanted to make you see we are not villains here, and we are only keeping you here to ensure no one gets hurt. I know you have been upset, but maybe now you will understand."

"I wouldn't have been hurt otherwise. Marcus would have protected- oh," she said, cutting off her sentence as understanding dawned on her. It wasn't just to keep her safe, it was to keep them safe too. As long as they held her hostage, Marcus wouldn't let the Volturi attack them. She was both bait and collateral. "I see."

"We are not bad people," Carlisle defended, looking uncomfortable as she began to understand the situation. "We have to take any advantage we can if we want to stand a chance against your coven. And if they are defeated-"

"If they're defeated?" Anna asked in a whisper soft tone, horror clear on her face.

Once again, he continued as if she hadn't said anything, "You will need protection against the enemies they have made over the years, who would not understand that you are innocent of their sins. They would kill you in the most horrible ways imaginable, just to exact their own revenge."

She felt like she was going to be sick, although not over the idea of the Volturi's enemies killing her. She knew she wouldn't outlive Marcus by much anyways, so how she died seemed incredibly irrelevant. She was panicking over what Carlisle meant by "if they were defeated." Her stomach rolled. This "talk" was beginning to sound like an ambush – and she was the bait to lead her unsuspecting mate into it.

She felt like she was going to collapse.

"Please don't do this," she begged. Carlisle looked even more uncomfortable as shame coloured his features from her pleading.

"Come, you've had a hard day. How about you come inside and have a nice cup of tea," Esme interrupted in her soft voice, tugging gently on her arm. Anna shook the cold hand off, feeling herself start to hyperventilate. She could feel her head still shaking as she stared at the Cullen patriarch in horror.

"Jasper?" Esme asked sharply, looking towards the blonde man who hadn't yet spoken to her. He gave her a pitying look and then she felt a wave of calm wash over her. She tried to fight it, but couldn't. She felt as if she had been given a massive dose of morphine and suddenly everything was foggy and peaceful.

And then she was collapsing, falling to the groundgracefully, as if everything had been put into slow motion. She felt someone pick her up and carry her back into the house, setting her on a soft surface, but she was too deeply enveloped in the heavy calm that had descended upon her. Nothing else seemed to matter. She was lost in the void.

* * *

Sometime later, she clawed her way out of the peaceful fog and back into reality. She was on a couch in their living room with another warm blanket thrown over her. The open concept floorplan allowed her to smell the food being cooked in the kitchen and she heard someone bustling around and humming softly as they cooked. She blearily blinked her eyes a few times and looked around.

The wolf man – Jacob, she recalled his name was – was sitting on another couch, his arms around a beautiful Native girl with gentle, sweet features. She looked incredibly petite in his massive arms, although Anna could see that even despite her small stature, the girl was muscular as well and likely stronger than she looked.

The man looked over at her, although his face didn't hold the same hostility it had before. "Jasper used a bit too much of the calming mojo on you. You were out of it for a while. You good now?"

She pulled herself into a sitting position, wincing as it felt like her body had been hit with a bag of bricks, looking at him with confusion at the sudden change in demeanor and ignoring the question.

"Esme's making fajitas for dinner if you're hungry," he said, as if in offering.

"Oh," she said blankly.

He looked closer at her, his eyes narrowing as if in assessment. "You don't look so good."

Anna sighed, the bond throbbing harder with her melancholy. "I guess that's what happens when you forcibly remove me from my mate when our bond is already strained."

"Why is your bond strained if you say he didn't hurt you?"

"He had to leave for a couple days to-" her heart tightened and she felt a wave of nausea as she remembered what Carlisle had told her. Her mate hadn't just been protecting her. Apparently, he and his brothers were massacring an entire innocent town of humans. She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. It must've been Aro or Caius. She could certainly imagine the blonde brother doing it, considering his view of humans, but not Marcus. She didn't even realize she was crying until Jacob spoke again.

"Hey! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. Shit," he sounded panicked. She heard the girl murmuring something to him and then felt his weight settle on the couch beside her. He tentatively reached out a hand as if to rub her back or offer her some sort of comfort and she instinctively flinched away from it, already feeling vulnerable enough without her mate there to protect her. She knew logically that this man likely didn't mean her any harm, but she had been through too much and some responses became ingrained.

"Okay, okay. I won't touch you. I'm sorry. Please, can I get you some tea or something? Or-"

"It's fine," Anna forced out through gritted teeth, just wanting him to get away from her. He seemed to sense her wish and went back to his own couch, looking at her warily with a look of guilt still on his face. Anna forced herself to relax when he was a comfortable distance away again.

"Distance strains the bond, as far as I can tell. Marcus would probably know more, but it's when we're apart that it starts hurting," she heard herself say, her voice soft and slightly hoarse from her tears.

"No offense but shouldn't you be happy to be away from him? You know what he is now-"

Anna forced herself not to descend into tears again. "Even if he did… do that, he's still my mate. Nothing can change that. I love him," her voice sounded broken, even to her. "Besides, it's not like being around monsters is a new thing for me. And he's never hurt me at least."

"You realize that's pretty much the definition of Stockholm Syndrome, right?"

His voice sounded so dry as he said it and that, paired with the look of concern still on his face seemed incredibly comical to her. She felt a giggle bubbling out of her chest unbidden, and then she was laughing, almost in full on hysterics. This was all so surreal. She was probably losing her mind, she thought to herself as her body shook and she gasped for breath. Tears were running down her face, which she knew was only partially from the laughter.

She finally sobered and saw him looking at her as if she was crazy. Not wanting these people to have more reason to hate her mate when they already thought he was some sort of psychotic, abusive monster, she tried to explain.

"It's not just that. He's so kind and understanding. He always seems to know exactly what I want or need and he's never made me feel broken, even though I know I am and I know he deserves so much better. But it's like when I'm with him, I feel whole again. I thought I'd never want anyone to touch me ever again, but when he touches me, he's all I can think about and I can't get enough," she felt herself blushing as she finished.

"I understand that," he said quietly, turning his attention back to the girl and his mood brightening obviously. The adoration in his eyes reminded her immediately of the way Marcus looked at her, the way all the brothers looked at their mates.

"Is she… your mate?" Her own question surprised her as it came out of her mouth unbidden, likely fueled by the lingering inhibition left by the heavy wave of calm. She quickly covered it with her hand and looked embarrassed, "I'm so sorry, that was rude. I didn't mean-"

"She's my imprint, I guess it's sorta like your freaky vampire mate shit. My wolf recognized her the minute he saw her."

The girl smiled back at him adoringly before looking over at Anna and giving her an obvious once over, her face blank. "So you're the vampire girl."

"I-I guess so…"

"Gross," she said, scrunching up her nose and turning her attention back to her mate.

"Erin," the man said, playfully warning her and grinning down at her. "Don't be rude to the scary vampire's girlfriend."

He turned back to Anna, "Sorry about her, you know how feisty shifter cougars can be," he said, grinning in a good-natured boyish way.

"Shifter… cougars…?"

"She's from an Algonquin community up north, although her pack turns into giant kitty cats rather than badass wolves."

"It's a pride, you imbecile. We've been over this. And I am _not_ a kitty cat," the girl said with a light growl.

"Yeah? Well I bet I can make you purr for me," he said, his voice low and suggestive and she saw his hand drift over her body. They seemed to have forgotten she was there entirely and she felt a blush colouring her cheeks at their behaviour.

"I'm just going to go-" she said with a squeak, quickly vacating her seat and leaving the two alone on their couch, in their own little world.

She trudged up the stairs, wanting nothing more than to curl back up in a quiet room and feel the off-tune panging of the bond vibrating through her, tugging on her soul to return to him, reminding her that her mate was still out there, looking for her. All she had to do was hold on until he got there.

She collapsed on the bed and thought of the obvious love shared between the couple on the couch. She remembered a time when her own mate had held her and whispered filthy innuendo to her, playing her body like an instrument and making her feel things she never could've imagined. She felt tears welling in her eyes. She had taken it all for granted. Taken him for granted. And now she may lose him forever.

She descended into sobs untilfinally the blissful oblivion of sleep pulled her under.

* * *

Her mate's arms were around her and he pressed his hips against her ass where she could feel him hardening. She sighed happily and relaxed, drifting between the haziness of sleep and the pleasure of his body. She felt a hand travel down her stomach and dip into her pants. His fingers pressed against her most tender place, teasing her with the promise of the pleasures to come.

She paused. Wait, why wasn't she anxious? Wasn't she supposed to be anxious? She knew something was wrong, although she couldn't put her finger on it…

"Relax," Marcus purred. "Just feel. Let me soothe you."

She felt his index finger slide between her folds, stroking her from her clitoris to her opening. She gasped, her head falling back against his shoulder and she shifted her legs so the top one was flung over his hips, opening herself further to him.

"Good girl," she heard him murmur. "Your mate is here. There is no need to fret. I will make it better."

"I need you," she whimpered, a desperate note in her voice as she reached a hand behind her to palm his erection through his pants. Whatever was wrong, while she couldn't recall what it was, she knew having him inside her would help.

"I cannot, beloved. I must concentrate. Let me take care of you another way," he said consolingly. She felt the finger dip into the well of wetness beginning to form and she clenched herself around him, seeking more friction and desperately needing the release she knew he would give her. His finger probed deeper, thrusting all the way in to the knuckle and curling it against the spot that made her vision go fuzzy.

He began to fuck her gently with just the one finger and she trembled with need, desiring more, craving to feel the sweet sting of the stretch as he pushed inside of her.

"Please," she begged, tilting her hips, seeking out more friction.

"Shhh," he soothed again. "I will give it to you. There is no need to worry. Relax. Just feel me."

She felt him ease another finger within her and began thrusting them again, finding the exact angle that would bring her release. She moaned as she felt him speed up the pace as his thumb began to rub her clitoris in time with the thrusts.

She trembled at the sensation pressed herself back further into his embrace, needing to feel surrounded by him. She wanted him inside her so badly and she could feel the obvious proof that he wanted her as well. Why wouldn't he give them what they both clearly wanted?

"Concentrate, my love. Let me please you," he interrupted her thoughts, thrusting harder inside her.

"Please," she keened she felt her pleasure growing. She both felt and heard his growl at her words, apparently enjoying her begging.

He brought his other hand to her mouth and growled at her to suck as he thrust his fingers between her lips. She eagerly obeyed, lathing the digits shamelessly as she writhed against the others, which were swiftly driving her to ecstasy. He removed them from her mouth roughly and she nearly jumped as she felt them slip between their bodies and begin to trace the cleft of her ass.

"M-Marcus?" Her voice sounded uncertain and confused, although still with the needy breathiness of her arousal.

He purred for her. "Relax," he repeated once again. "I will not hurt you."

She tensed when she felt a finger begin to rub against a place which, in her innocence, she had never considered to be sexual. He began to press insistently at her rear, his thick finger lubricated with her saliva. With a bite of pain, he eased one finger into her ass to the first knuckle, gently holding it still as he allowed her to acclimate herself to the sensation, never once ceasing the movement of his other hand.

"Good girl," he praised, his voice low and aroused. "You are such a good mate, piccola."

She whimpered at his words but couldn't form words, her thoughts having stopped completely as she was overwhelmed with just _feeling_. Her body felt like it was about to short circuit with the overstimulation of his hands and his finger pressing into this new place, which she was startled to realize was only adding to the pleasure. The feeling of fullness was swiftly driving her to release and she pressed back against him, silently asking for more.

He groaned but obliged her, gently easing the finger in until he was fully encased to the knuckle in her soft, tight ass. He gently eased it out an inch and then pressed it back in, and that was all it took to send her hurtling into her release.

She cried out, bucking against him and riding out the waves of pleasure as she clenched wildly around his fingers.

And then suddenly she was awake, lying in the bed in the Cullens' house, alone. Her own unsatisfactory fingers were rubbing away between her legs and she felt the fluttering of her sex clenching around imagined fingers.

She immediately removed her hand, her orgasm petering off quickly without satisfaction as she felt a gasping sob escape her. It had all been a dream. Her mate wasn't there. She was alone, in a strange place, in an entirely different country. He wasn't there. It was just a dream.

Violent, heaving sobs wracked through her body. She felt so empty. The only thing grounding her to the earth, the only thing keeping her from imploding with the emptiness, was the feeling of the bond tearing its way through her soul in the absence of her mate. A swiftly growing headache accompanied it, which was only being made worse by her cries until she felt as if her skull was going to split in two.

The door to her room burst open and the next moment she saw Carlisle Cullen at her bedside. She knew he would be able to smell what she had done, her arousal surely scented the air, but the mounting piercing pain in her head and heart and her yearning for her mate made it so she couldn't even summon the shame or anxiety she knew she should feel.

She yearned for the soothing bliss of oblivion that unconsciousness would bring. When she felt her thoughts begin to become foggy and disjointed, she didn't fight it.

"Anna, you must stay awake. Please stay with me, look at me," he pleaded.

"I can't live without him," she said emotionlessly, looking away from the fear plainly on his face and staring blankly at the wall behind him.

"You won't have to. I promise we will not harm him. You must stay with me. You will see him again but you have to stay strong until then," he promised, his eyes looking wild with desperation. She didn't respond. Her vision was beginning to darken around the edges.

"You were not supposed to be harmed," he said despairingly, seemingly talking to himself. "You are young, innocent, human… it was not supposed to be like this."

She felt the pull of the void in the back of her mind. It sounded like the voice of her mother, the salty spray of the ocean against her face, Marcus' arms around her… the pain dulled as she felt herself slip towards it and she sighed with relief.

"Please fight this. Feel the bond of your mate, let it pull you back. It hurts, I know it hurts, but it is a good hurt. It is reminding you that your mate is still here, that you will see him again. I promise."

She couldn't fight the magnetic pull of his words promising her the hope of seeing Marcus once again. She had always been a fighter, having already fought her way through poverty, the loss of her family, infectious diseases, abuse, attempted murder… she could feel that old fight reigniting, as much as she didn't want it to. She wanted so badly to let go, but it seemed as if that innately human will to live still had its claws in her and was not ready to relinquish her just yet.

"Please, Carlisle," she whispered. "Don't hurt them. We can fix them. I can guide them back to their purpose, just like you said. But we can't do that if you kill them."

He looked conflicted.

"Please," she entreated. "Trust me."

Slowly he nodded his head. "Yes," he said uncertainly. Then, with more conviction, "Yes, I will trust you. We can fix this."

* * *

Marcus came to with a gasp, sitting upright in their bed, his mate's scent soothing him, still clinging to the fabric from when she had slept in it, only days ago. He felt her essence fading around him as he receded from her mind through the bond and desperately wanted to cling to it, yearning to feel her in his arms once more.

Gradually he became more aware of his surroundings. The family was all grouped around him, watching with worried gazes to see whether he had succeeded in extracting information about where Anna was being held or who had her.

"Carlisle Cullen," Marcus said with a snarl. "He has her in Washington."

Aro's mouth popped open with a comical look of shock, along with the rest of them. That was the last thing they had expected – gentle, pacifist Carlisle Cullen kidnapping a human? It sounded absurd, preposterous even, and yet… he did have an incredibly rigid sense of morals. If he thought he was doing the right thing, he may be capable of anything.

"We will end him and his entire coven," came Sulpicia's voice. Both his sisters were usually calm, gentle creatures, but Sulpicia had always had a dark side that surfaced now and again. Now was one of those times, and he saw the promise of violence in her face.

"And Anna? Did she survive the process of you entering her mind? Even for one of us, it can be trying, especially from such a distance," came Caius' uncharacteristically concerned voice.

"She survived. She is in a great deal of pain and she nearly…" he shuddered as he recalled the feeling of her life force fading and then scowled. "Carlisle is caring for her. She will recover."

"I will mobilize the guard immediately. Sulpicia, my love, I'm afraid I must request Corin come with us-"

"I will accompany you," Sulpicia said firmly.

The rest of the family paused, looking at her in shock. The wives never accompanied them on an offensive mission.

"My dearest, surely-"

"My sister may need the comforts of a sister when we retrieve her. I'm sure this has been a trying experience. I will come with you," she said in a final tone.

"And I will come as well," said Athenodora, looking as if she were near tears.

Caius looked like she was going to argue, but his mate growled at him, low and threatening. "I will not hear your arguments on this, Caius," she snarled at him.

He backed off, looking at her in shock. As much as they enjoyed their play fighting, she had never growled at him with such animosity before. He nodded slowly at her in acquiescence, shock still obvious on his face. "Of course, petal. Please forgive my offense."

"It is settled then," Aro said, sounding uncertain and off balance by this development. "We shall all go and retrieve our youngest."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glossary:
> 
> Seraph (pl. Seraphim): An angel of the highest order in Christian angelology. Literally means "the burning one."


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: physical violence and attempted rape. It's more graphic than what I've written before so please prepare yourself if it's something you find triggering.

Anna flinched as Carlisle helped her into a sitting position. He thankfully ignored her violent reaction and offered her a bottle of water to sip.

"I would like to run some tests to ensure there is no lasting damage," he said. "I am worried about the effects of a bond strain on humans and I do not want to risk any harm to you."

It had only been a few minutes since she had finally stopped crying and the void calling to her in her mind had quieted to a distant hum. The bond had begun to vibrate violently, tearing her soul to shreds once more. It felt almost strangely comforting now, grounding her with the wrenching pain.

The tenuous calm she had achieved was quickly shattered once more when the small pixie girl, the copper-haired man, and the blonde man – Jasper, she remembered Esme had called him, who had knocked her out with that heavy wave of calming emotions – appeared in her bedroom.

They looked as if they had seen a ghost and their eyes flickered between Anna and Carlisle frantically. The blonde made a scene of clearly scenting the air, his brow furrowing further.

"Carlisle-" the pixie said breathlessly, a sob catching in her chest. "I just saw- I had a vision of-" She couldn't get her sentence out, apparently too overcome to even say what she had seen as she descended to sobs.

"They figured it out," the copper hair man whispered with a haunted, terrified look on his face. "They're on their way, the entire guard, even the wives… they're coming for us. We're all going to die."

Carlisle was immediately on his feet, demanding, "What do you mean they figured it out, Edward? How?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask her?" Edward glared pointedly at Anna, who was cowering on the bed from the obvious tension in the air. She felt her heartbeat hasten further, practically jumping out of their chest when they all turned to look at her accusingly.

"Anna has been here the entire time. We'd have heard if she somehow communicated with him," Carlisle argued reasonably.

"Don't pretend you don't smell that," the blonde man called Jasper said with a thick southern drawl. "Clearly he attempted to establish _coire_ through the bond _."_

Understanding followed by dread dawned on Carlisle's face. "Over this distance? Is it even possible, considering she is still human? Anna? Is this true? Did Marcus reach out to you through the bond?"

"I-I don't-" She felt herself trembling from renewed anxiety from the attention. "I had a dream… I thought it was just a dream. Marcus was here and he-" She began to blush as she remembered what exactly had happened in that dream and couldn't bring herself to say the words aloud, especially with the way they were looking at her with disgust. "Well, we didn't really talk much but I didn't tell him anything."

"I've felt what she's been feeling the last couple days and he wouldn't have been able to reach out to her with how upset she's been," Jasper said, scowling. "But if she was relaxed enough while sleeping or after he had fucked her, I'm sure he could have seen through at least some of her surface memories. Marcus Volturi is a master at understanding how to navigate bonds. I wouldn't put anything past him."

Anna's blush deepened with mortification at his coarse referencing of her intimacy with her mate. She _had_ been especially relaxed and pliant after he had brought her to orgasm, and she remembered how he had said he couldn't couple with her because he needed to concentrate, which now struck her as odd… could he really have seen through her memories through the bond? Was that why she had woken up with a splitting headache?

She felt relief and warmth at the idea of having contact with her mate, even if it was only a mental connection as he entered her mind through the bond. She knew she should feel violated, but she didn't. The only emotion she could summon was a relieved joy.

"We need to call Sam immediately. He needs to know, we need to plan-"

"No, Carlisle, don't you understand? We are going to die. Every decision I can see predicts it. There's nothing we can do," the pixie said forcefully, with another little sob at the end.

"I'm sure there is something-"

"Nothing. There is nothing we can do. Maybe if we had been able to catch them by surprise, if they hadn't had the entire guard assembled… but now we do not stand a chance," the copper haired one reiterated.

"We have to tell the pack," Carlisle whispered. "We brought this on them. They have a right to know, to have a chance to escape..."

"They made a choice," Jasper said. "We brought an option to them and they agreed. This is not your fault. It's the Volturi's."

Anna felt her stomach drop as she finally stopped fawning over her brief connection with her mate and her mind caught up with the words they were saying. Marcus, Caius, and Aro were coming with the entire guard to rescue her… and kill the Cullens and the wolves.

While she hadn't had the greatest start with them, considering she had been forcefully removed from her mate, and while she desperate yearned to leave their house and return to Marcus, she didn't wish them harm. She could see they were only trying to do what they saw was right and she couldn't find it in her to fault them for that. She knew she would do what she could to protect Jacob and his pack as well, even if it meant putting herself between them and her mate.

"Maybe if you let me go and I return to Marcus, I can talk to him? Maybe I can convince them not to hurt you? This is all just a misunderstanding, I'm sure!"

"Any chance of that is gone," the copper haired one said harshly, glaring at her. "It was stupid to begin with and Carlisle never should have agreed to it. Anyways, any slight chance we may have had at attempting to negotiate is gone now. They are not coming to discuss terms, they're coming to destroy us. The Volturi do not negotiate with anything they perceive as a threat."

"We still have her, though," Rosalie argued, suddenly appearing in the room to join the discussion. "If we hold her, we still have leverage over them."

"Trying to hold Marcus' mate as ransom is only going to guarantee us a slow and painful death rather than a merciful one," Jasper said, clearly disgusted at her suggestion.

"And they'll certainly bring the witch twins," Rosalie's massive bear of a mate agreed, appearing beside her. "If Alec uses his gift, holding her will be useless anyways."

The room was beginning to become incredibly cramped with this family meeting being adjourned in it and Anna cringed further into the headboard at the feeling of being cornered and surrounded.

"Then we run," Rosalie argued further.

"And Demetri can chase us across the globe the same way he did the Romanians every few years," Edward said, his voice sounding defeated.

"No matter what we do, we die," the pixie said in a small voice.

Anna heard heavy steps stomping up the stairs and the two massive Aboriginal men entered the bedroom, squeezing into the space beside her bed.

"I just got the call, what the fuck is going on?" Jacob demanded.

No one answered, the room entirely silent as no one wanted to repeat the information that had them so panicked.

"Marcus used the bond to find out where Anna was. They're bringing the entire guard," Emmett finally offered when no one else spoke.

"So we prepare for battle, I know it's a little sooner than we planned-"

"It's no use, Jacob. They're too strong. Maybe if you and the pack leave now they won't be able to find you. Their tracker hasn't met you yet, you stand a good chance," Carlisle offered weakly.

"Fuck that, Carlisle. We're in this together," the conviction and loyalty in his voice warmed Anna's heart, while at the same time turning her stomach to ice at the knowledge that her mate wanted him dead.

"Jacob, think of Erin… think of your father," Esme pleaded. "Don't be rash, you all don't have to die."

"This is our ancestral home. The Quileutes will defend this land to our dying breath," Sam spoke for the first time in Anna's presence, his voice deep and soothing and firm. The tenor had a ring of finality to it.

The disagreement was interrupted by a burst of fire in the doorway. Anna immediately leapt to her feet from where she had been pressing herself against the headboard, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest with panic. The jaundiced man materialized in the flames as they died down, leaving him standing in the room with a look of fury on his face while the others looked at him with mixed shock, terror, and awe. He seemed to have eyes only for Carlisle, who he pinned with an enraged, fiery glare.

"What have you done, Carlisle?" He snarled.

"Marcus has discovered us. I did not consider that he would-," Carlisle tried to explain, but he was quickly interrupted, the enraged man clearly having lost his patience.

"And now everything I have planned is ruined!"

"Help us," Carlisle begged. "Please, we need your guidance."

"I cannot help you anymore," the man said coldly, his face still seething with rage. He looked around at all the shocked faces staring at him before his eyes landed on Anna and he softened slightly. "This is out of my control now."

"You've gotta do _something,_ man! _"_ Emmett said forcefully. "You're an angel, don't you have some holy mojo or something?"

The man looked at him with a look of pitying amusement on his face. "I am no angel, Emmett. I am not a servant. I am a god, the creator of what you once were when you were still a mortal. Now you are merely a corruption of my creation and I can do nothing for you."

"A god?" The look on Carlisle's face made Anna wonder if vampires could go into shock. "But you said-"

"I did not say I was an angel," he said with a hard smile. "I merely allowed you to form your own conclusions. I have been known to my creation by many names – Prometheus, Loki, Maui... I'm afraid your Abrahamic god left here long ago and now I'm all that's left. But there is only so much I can do and you have ruined it with your carelessness."

All the Cullens similarly looked as if they were about to go into shock along with Carlisle at this announcement and Anna felt an odd numbness go over her. A god? An honest to goodness primordial entity? An actual god? She was torn between wanting to run out of the room screaming and wanting to tackle the terrifying man and demand an explanation for all the things that had gone wrong in her life so far, most especially the current pickle she had somehow found herself in.

She had been kidnapped, taken to a strange coven of vampires intent on killing her mate, and now he was just going to allow these vampires to die at the Volturi's hands now that they no longer served a purpose for him. He seemed so willing to sacrifice them, as if it didn't even merit a second thought. They were merely a _corruption of his creation._ Was that how he saw her own mate as well? Merely some sub-human abomination?

"You have got to be kidding me," Anna heard herself say, her anger and incredulity clear in her tone. She felt as shocked as everyone else looked at her outburst, having not meant to say the words aloud and she quickly covered her mouth in horror, certain she was about to be burnt alive for speaking so rudely to this all-powerful primordial entity.

Prometheus looked more than amused than anything as he looked at her. "Yes, Anna?"

When he didn't seem inclined to roast her, she recovered and tried to keep her voice from wavering in terror, "You're just going to let them die? All these innocent people are going to be murdered and you're not going to do _anything?_ You said you're a god, so do something! Help us!"

"What do you expect me to do?"

"I don't know! Throw a thunderbolt at them! Turn them to stone! Do _something!"_

"I'm sure you're aware that I'm neither Zeus nor a gorgon. Zeus was the one who made the creature you call a mate in the first place so I can assure you he will be no help here, and the only one still in possession of a gorgon's head refuses to make a move against the monsters," he said, sounding bitter. His face looked sorrowful. "I'm sorry, Anna. Even a god can only do so much when facing the Volturi."

In another gust of flames, he was gone, an apologetic look still on his face.

* * *

"If you don't hold still I won't be able to set the bone properly," Anna gently scolded the adolescent wolf in front of her. Within a half hour, Jacob and Sam had assembled every wolf who had shifted so far and were drilling them with the Cullens, trying to teach them the basics of fighting vampires in the small amount of time they had to prepare. It had already resulted in a few broken bones and minor wounds, which Anna was tending to.

The icy feeling in the pit of her stomach was competing with the shredding feeling of the bond for her attention and, if asked, Anna didn't know if she could've said which was worse. This boy, a child who could be no older than 14, was readying for war. And she could do nothing to stop it.

"If you hadn't told your _mate_ about us, you wouldn't need to set the bone in the first place," a wolf named Paul said, sneering the word mate as if it were a curse. Ever since the news of the Volturi's arrival had reached the wolves, she had been the subject or his, and many of the other's scorn. She couldn't fault him for it. She was the reason they were about to be under attack. The reason her family was going to kill every single one of their people, down to the last child, Carlisle had said.

She didn't respond, merely wrapped a splint around the boy's ankle to allow his healing factor to mend the bone in the proper place.

"There. I'm done. Now make sure you sit still for a few minutes," she reminded him, her voice merely a whisper.

"Don't listen to him," the boy said. "This isn't your fault. You couldn't have known those leeches could read your mind."

She forced a smile for him. "Thank you, Seth. But he's right, this is my fault."

"It's not," he said more firmly.

Wanting to escape the gentle reassurance that she knew she didn't deserve, Anna quickly told him that she needed to go fetch some more bandages and that she'd be right back to check on him again. She took the opportunity to go to the house and centre herself in the relative quiet and privacy. She couldn't let herself cry in front of them. She had to hold it together.

But she couldn't. She knew in the next couple hours either all of these innocent people would be dead, or her mate would be. And she hated herself for hoping that her mate would be okay, even if it meant sacrificing these innocents who had committed no crime except having the exceptional ability to shapeshift into giant wolves.

She knew her mate likely had done many horrific things that she couldn't even bare to think about, and yet she still couldn't wish any ill on him. She hated the idea of the Cullens and the Quileutes being slaughtered, but the idea of losing Marcus was impossible. She couldn't even entertain the thought without feeling as if her soul would shatter apart.

She knew if she were just a little smarter she could figure out a solution to fix this, but her mind was drawing a blank. Even if she went to them now, she knew Aro and Caius wouldn't listen to her. Even if she begged them for mercy. And Rosalie Cullen and the Quileutes refused to release her anyways, hoping that if she was with them they may have the opportunity for some leniency on the Volturi's part, even though at the same time they knew it was futile. The will to live was a powerful thing, and Anna knew they'd do anything just to give themselves a fighting chance.

Carlisle Cullen, however, looked as if all the life had been drained out of him. He was standing on the sidelines of the sparring, still as a statue, his face entirely void of emotions now that he realized he had been fooled by some pagan god who did not care if he lived or died.

And Anna was stuck between them with no way out, about to be crushed under the force of a supernatural rock and a hard place, with no one to save her.

"How does it feel knowing you're going to be the cause of a genocide?" Paul's hateful voice came from behind her, causing Anna to jump. She hadn't heard him approach and she felt her anxiety spike at his nearness and obvious malice.

"I didn't intend for this to happen," she said weakly. Uselessly.

"That's not what I asked."

"I think it's probably the worst thing I've ever felt," she said honestly. Considering the state of her life so far, she thought that was pretty impressive. There were no shortage of awful things to choose from to measure it against.

"You _think_?" He sneered, a hard gleam in his eyes. He began to stalk towards her, although this trapped feeling was nothing like the thrill of excitement she had when Marcus had playfully stalked her. It brought back a wave of horrible memories she had tried to bury and she cringed away from him, clenching her teeth to stop herself from whimpering.

"I don't give a fuck what Carlisle Cullen says. I'm going to bring you to those leaches and I'm either going to buy my pack's safety or I'm going to kill you in front of your mate, real slow, so he knows how it feels to lose something you love."

"Paul, please, you don't have to do this-"

Her plea was cut off by his fist slamming across her face. He moved so fast she didn't even see the arm that struck her until she saw stars dancing across her vision and she crumpled to the floor, her head throbbing painfully. From the pain blossoming through her skull, she felt certain he had broken her cheekbone, and possibly her nose too, considering the blood that was now streaming out of it.

"Shut the fuck up," she heard his hard voice through the haze of agony clouding her mind.

Before she could even process what had happened, he hauled her over his shoulder and took off at a run into the forest, the blood rushing to her head only adding to the pain. She didn't know how long they ran for, but when he finally put her down, she collapsed to her hands and knees and puked, spilling the contents of her stomach all over the damp leaves covering the ground, her entire head screaming at her and throbbing in agony as she did so.

He looked at her in disgust and then began sniffing the air, his head whipping around in all directions as if trying to sniff out which direction her mate would be coming from. After a few minutes, he let out a low, satisfied growl and stalked back toward her. Anna cowered into the ground, closing her eyes tightly as if that would make him less real.

She heard his heavy footsteps getting closer and felt tears running down her face unbidden. She couldn't stop the cry that was wrenched from her throat when he grabbed her, pulling her upright. Her eyes flashed open in fear. His face was a few inches away from hers, his eyes wild with fury and… she shuddered. Lust. A horrible combination she had seen too many times before. She began to weep in earnest now, frantically pulling at the bond, calling desperately for her mate. He had to save her. He had promised.

"You're the reason my people are going to die and you're going to fucking pay for it."

His eyes wandered hungrily over her quivering, limp body. "I bet you're used to this with the leeches, huh?"

He roughly grabbed her breast and she cried harder, yanking at the bond with increasing despair. She screamed when she felt claws piercing through her shirt and into her skin. It felt like fire as he tore them through the soft flesh. His growl turned harsh and ragged.

He roughly flipped her onto her stomach and tore her pants off, leaving burning red trails from his sharp claws. She screamed as her face pressed into the ground and she could feel the broken bone grinding against the hard surface. She screamed from the feel of his hands on her, from the horror and shock at what she realized was about to happen. She screamed until she felt as if her throat would split open.

And then she felt him pressing against her, his skin way too hot, almost burning her, touching a place that belonged only to Marcus. Her screams turned hysterical and she began to buck against him, clawing back at his hands and squirming out of his grasp as she kicked at him.

"Crazy fucking bitch," she heard him curse as her foot connected with something soft and vulnerable. "What the fuck!"

She fought him with all the human strength she had, still screaming like a banshee as he tried to hold her down, growling at her in rage. She could feel his body shaking on top of her, and then suddenly she heard the same snapping she had heard when Jacob has transformed into that giant wolf, accompanied by another feral, threatening snarl.

The next thing she knew, she couldn't feel anything. She couldn't breathe, as if her mind has disconnected from her body and no longer knew how to fill her lungs with air. She felt an odd pressure, as if every molecule was being compressed until she thought she would burst.

And then all she could feel was pain. It felt as if every bone in her body had been broken, crushed under the weight of the wolf snarling on top of her. She couldn't remember ever feeling this much pain before. Every nerve ending was screaming at her and she distantly wondered whether you could die from sheer pain alone.

She wanted to scream, but it felt as if her throat had seized up and all she could do was moan. She was so cold, and strangely wet… was she bleeding? There must be a lot of it, considering how wet she felt. Every second felt like an eternity, and she was grasping for purchase as her mind threatened to slip into unconsciousness.

She could distantly feel her body shuddering and realized she must be going into shock. Her heart was frantically thrumming, trying to keep her alive, but all it was doing was emptying her lifeblood out onto the ground around her quicker.

She was dying. How many times was this now that she had almost died? She had lost count, but this would be the last. There had to be a limit on how many times one human could come back from the brink of death, didn't there?

She startled as she suddenly heard a horrific growling sound coming at her, although it seemed incredibly distant to her now as she felt herself growing weaker. A great weight was lifted off her, leading to more spasms and pain. There was more snarling and a great commotion around her, although her disconnected ears couldn't make sense of it as her brain began shutting down.

Dying was such a strange feeling. She could feel the dread and fear in her chest, which her analytical mind reminded her was a symptom of dying. "Sense of impending doom," they called it. Whenever a patient looked her in the eye and told her something bad was going to happen, she always took it seriously. It was the body's way of trying to encourage you to seek help, to live a little longer, propagate the species and all that… although it all seemed to matter less now that she was slipping further into the dark void surrounding her. This one didn't call to her with soothing sounds and memories, it just gaped open hungrily around her, waiting for her to fall into it and be lost forever.

The commotion seemed to have died down. Someone was calling her name, but she couldn't respond.

"No! Anna! Where's Carlisle? She's hurt! What did he do to her? Oh god, what do we do?"

There was an answer made by someone else, but words ceased to have meaning to her. Sound had turned into a droning hum. She felt as if she were formless, with no mass or matter, floating through an abyss of suffocating pain.

She felt a searing pain in her chest as her heart stopped and the muscles seized. She could feel her body gasping for one last breath before it stilled.

The world went strangely quiet.

She must've been right about there being an afterlife, considering she was still here, still in excruciating pain, she mused. Although, she thought, the brain can survive for six minutes without oxygen… maybe she was just waiting it out until she went fully brain dead. Just six minutes of this torture, that's all she had left of this world. She could do it, she told herself… six minutes, and then peace. Six minutes, and then maybe she could see Marcus again. If there were gods, there had to be an afterlife, didn't there? Maybe they would see one another again there. She held onto that desperate hope.

She felt a harsh pulling on the bond, tearing at her soul and only adding to the agony welling within her. Marcus must've sensed that she was dying and was reaching for her, desperately trying to hold on to his mate to keep her from slipping away.

He had been alone for too long. How could she abandon him now? He needed her as surely as she needed him, she was sure of it. And she was just as sure that he was the only thing holding Aro and Caius together, keeping them from doing something truly terrible. Her mate had always been a balancing influence on her, and she could see now that it was likely true of his relationships with his brothers as well. She felt a sorrow grip her, but even her grief couldn't keep hold of her.

The tugging stilled, and she felt herself drift away, as if dreaming. She sent as much love as she could to him, trying to convey all her affection and sorrow, before she felt the bond snap apart between them, disconnecting them from that place in her chest that had always been empty and waiting for him, separating the living and the dead

* * *

Glossary:

 _Coire:_ to join together, unite as a whole, make love

* * *

Prometheus: A titan, one of the earliest generations of the gods in Greek and Roman mythology. He was a champion of humanity and, by many accounts, he was also said to be the creator of humans. He was a bit of a trickster, which makes sense considering he created humanity, who are a bit of a cosmic joke

He was reported to have stolen fire (the "means of life") back from Zeus after the All-Father had taken it from humans in a fit of rage in an attempt to kill them off. In punishment for Prometheus defying him, Zeus ordered for him to be chained to the top of a mountain and have his liver eaten by an eagle each day (hence being jaundiced. I can only imagine that would result in some sort of permanent liver damage).

* * *

These aren't my area of study so please take them with a grain of salt and correct me if I'm wrong:

Loki: A god from Norse mythology. He's another hilarious trickster (one time Thor's hammer went missing so Loki tricked him into dressing up as Freya and marrying a giant to get it back. Apparently Thor made a REALLY ugly bride) and in one story apparently battled with fire. I'm not sure he was really that helpful to humans but maybe Prometheus was just taking a sabbatical in Northern Europe at that point and needed a break from babysitting his terrible, wayward children?

Neil Gaiman recently wrote a book called Norse Mythology that looks really good if you want to read more about him by someone who's done more research than me!

* * *

Maui: A god/demigod from Polynesian mythology. He's a bit of a trickster too, but still a champion of humanity, known for restraining the sun so humans had longer days, hauling up a bunch of islands for people to live on, and discovering fire. You should probably watch Moana because Dwayne Johnson plays him and it was legendary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I feel like kidnapping a Volturi mate is one of those "don't join a land war in Asia" or "don't invade Russia in winter" kinds of things… it doesn't seem to work out well for anyone.
> 
> But at least we finally know who the weird jaundiced guy is? Please don't kill me…


	28. Chapter 28

They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die, but it doesn't. Instead, everything seemed to cease having any meaning. There was no Anna, no Marcus, no bond, no sensation or existence. There was nothing, and everything. But it was still nothing.

She felt as if she were floating, like a dust mote suspended in a sunbeam, both existing and not depending on what angle you looked at it from, for an eternity. And then something caught her. It was solid, grounding, and held her firmly in its grasp of not-quite-nothingness. It tugged on her, sending her flying through the void and back into something solid. Real. She felt oddly heavy as she slammed back into a corporeal form.

It still seemed like nothing, although the nothing was taking shape around her once more until it resembled a peaceful field with golden sunlight and a soft breeze drifting through sweet grass. Even though she was standing in the sun, she couldn't feel the warmth. She couldn't feel anything. She could sense the echo of the bond still inside of her, connecting her to her mate, but she couldn't reach him. She tried calling for him, but it merely echoed back to her. It was as if their once incredibly solid, grounding bond had turned into air, only teasing her with the memory of him.

"Hello Anna."

She startled, nearly jumping a foot as the grey-eyed woman materialized in front of her, smiling gently, although her eyes looked at Anna mournfully.

She had a million questions on her tongue. What do you want? Where am I? What's happening? Can you help me? But instead, she heard her hesitant voice ask, "Who  _are_  you?"

"That's the first thing you wish to know? Why don't you think for a minute and tell me who I am?"

Her mind was turning, as if trying to place together a 1000-piece puzzle, connecting pieces together that she hadn't realized were even related… the owl at the cottage, the grey-eyed woman Vladimir had spoken of, the woman at the casino, the ancient armour she had worn in her dream… a distant memory of a mythology class she had taken in her undergrad sprang to mind.

"You can't be…"

"Can I not? Is your mate not the last of my favoured people?"

"Athena," she breathed the name, clearly doubting her own conclusion. "But you can't be real…"

The woman glided toward her and reached out a hand. "Feel me, see how real I am."

Anna didn't touch the offered hand. Instead she backed away further. "What are you doing here? What is happening? Am I dead?"

The woman sighed at her reaction. "Do you feel dead?"

"I don't know, I can't feel anything…"

"As your mate could tell you, living and dead are not quite as simple as they may seem." She seemed to look at Anna closer, as if inspecting her. "You may be a little dead, but not entirely."

"What does that even  _mean?_ I'm so tired of this vague bullshit! Just tell me what you want! You tried to kill me at the cottage, and then the Romanians attacked, claiming they were sent by you! Clearly you want me dead! That seems pretty simple to me!"

Athena looked horrified at the outburst of accusations. "Of course I don't want you dead! I made a mistake, yes, but you must understand, I thought I was doing the right thing…"

"How?" She nearly screamed the word, feeling as if she had entirely run out of patience for these word games.

She seemed to consider the question. "I am the guardian of warfare, Anna. It is not that I am offended by violence, however I am weary of the direction Aro is leading the Volturi. My father – Zeus – he made vampires as a monster, a plague on humanity because he knew how much my uncle loved your kind, but he's always been a little temperamental and prone to his rages. He regretted it later, but he had grown quite fond of the creatures so he tried to make amends with my uncle, offering to give them the weakness of fire if they could live.

They reached an agreement and so, rather than sending a hero to defeat the monsters, he sent a leader. Typhon was a good king… he controlled the  _athanatoi_ well and earned their loyalty, but eventually your mate and his brothers grew powerful enough to defeat him, as they coveted his role and the power that comes from it. My father is… fickle… in his interests, so he allowed it. But now they are not doing as commanded toensure the humans can live in peace without the plague of your species, as was the agreement between Prometheus and my father. I fear they have been erring from their duties for millennia now, and yet my father does nothing.

I thought if I could only speak to Marcus… he would listen. But he will not hear me. I have been calling to him… I thought perhaps if I withheld his mate he would eventually come to his senses and realize the crimes of his brothers? Surely he would want his mate to come into a safer world… but he never did." She sighed and frowned.

"I'm afraid I am responsible for a great deal of your suffering. I took you from the time you were meant to be born and deposited you where I could find room for you in this century, but your soul was not meant for that place and time and the currents of the world fought against you every step of the way… and you cannot imagine how difficult it was to persuade Aphrodite to wait for your match. She wanted it to happen very badly. She had made you two especially for each other, you know. But I thought if perhaps I just gifted you with wisdom and set you in a loving family you could make it to Marcus unharmed… and I thought perhaps if he saw the gentleness of your heart he would see the goodness of humanity and that would set him back on the right path."

Anna stood in shock, utterly speechless and trying to find words to respond to this influx of information, but before she could say anything, Athena continued. "I was wrong. When you challenge Fortuna in this way, she has a way of punishing you… there was no place for you in the 20th century and so it was trying to reject you, dispose of you in any way it could to correct the balance, whether through an accident or illness or injury… I am truly sorry for your suffering, Anna."

"Everything that has happened… it is because of you? My family dying? The virus' mutation in Nigeria? Joseph? It is because you… you tried to change time? Or something?"

Athena grimaced. "Yes. And it did not work anyways. Your suffering was needless. Weaving the fabric of time is exceptionally difficult work, I should've known better than to try."

"You're sorry? You tried to kill me!" Anna shrieked.

At that, Athena's grimaced disappeared and she looked toward the girl with genuine confusion. "I told you, I never tried to kill you, Anna. I would never kill an Athenian."

That made Anna pause as well. "What? I'm Athenian? I mean, I was supposed to be?"

The woman smiled gently. "Not quite. You were meant to be born during the reign of Augustus in the city of Rome. But your mate is Athenian, which makes you Athenian as well."

Anna muttered something about misogynistic citizenship laws before something occurred to her. "Those people in the dream, the man and woman in that villa, were they…?"

Her voice trailed off, unsure of how to finish the question. Were they her real parents? But how could they be her real parents, considering she knew her own mother had given birth to her. They had video proof and everything, which Anna had stumbled upon once to her absolute horror.

"They conceived you, yes. I removed you from her womb and delivered you to the woman you call mother."

Anna buried her face in her hands, her head spinning at all this information. It didn't make sense, but at the same time it did. It explained why her life had been this series of unfortunate events, why she had never looked like her family, why she had never truly felt as if she fit…

"I guess my mom was kinda right all along then, I am kind of a changeling. I was never meant to be hers…"

Athena looked like she was going to apologize again and Anna brought herself back to the subject. "Whatever, that doesn't matter now! You were the owl in the woods at the cottage when I was human, weren't you? You lured me out in the middle of the night in the snow! I could have died! And sending the Romanians? How is that not trying to kill me?"

The woman looked at her steadily for a moment, seeming as if she was searching Anna's soul for some answer, and then turned toward a magnificently carved bench Anna hadn't noticed behind her. "I owe you these answers. Please, come sit. I will explain all."

Anna looked at her warily but sat in the chair, staring at her and waiting for the promised answers.

"I never tried to kill you. I was trying to save you and your mate. That night in the cottage was an attempt to distract you both so I could keep you and he there, to keep you safe while I sent the Romanians to exterminate the rest of your coven. I could see the effect you were having on your mate. You were softening his heart and I knew if I gave you a few more years he would come to see their errors… but his brothers were too set on their path. The only way I could see to save you and he from my uncle would be to eliminate the others."

Anna's eyes grew wide as the woman calmly admitted to willfully, purposely attempting to kill her brothers and sisters. She flew out of the chair, nearly snarling in anger. The woman didn't react and held out her hand to the bench again. "Please, sit. Hear the rest of my story before you react."

Anna didn't sit but she managed to keep herself from screaming at the primordial figure. Her lip curled as she stared at the woman and waited for her to continue.

"You already know my plan did not work, and Prometheus was insistent that something be done. He has always been humanity's champion and he was adamant that the threat of the Volturi be eliminated and so I… I stepped aside and allowed him to dispose of your family himself. I thought it was the right thing to do, that at least you and your mate would be reunited in the underworld eventually, and perhaps that would have to be good enough because I failed you both in this world.

He kidnapped you to lure your family back to that Nazarene coven, but he never meant you any harm. You were human, of course he could never harm one of his children. He was sure that if they were caught off guard, those wolf hybrids would be able to defeat your coven, although it seems that the Volturi will not be so easily disposed of," she said with a wry smile.

"All of this… to try and tell Aro and Caius to do their job? Why couldn't you just  _tell them?"_

"I have told you, they will not listen. I could stand directly in front of them and scream and they would not hear me. That is the paradox of the gods. We have great power, and yet we can only use it if the mortal believes in us."

Anna's mind was running faster than she could keep track of, trying to make sense of all this new information. With a sinking feeling, she found all the pieces fit. She was telling the truth.

"And so what happens now?"

The woman did not answer. And so, with her silence, Anna had her answer. The woman had been clear. Something had to be done.

"I see."

"Anna, there will come a time when you must make a choice. I only hope you make the correct one. Be well, young one. We will see each other again. But now you must return."

The grey-eyed womandisappeared, as if she had never been there in the first place. The field seemed to be slipping away as well, and then with a great lurch backward, she was falling, falling, falling…

* * *

Everything was red hot agony. There was no haze of death to muffle it. She could feel every broken bone, every bruise on her flesh, every shred of skin. And a new agony was being added to it. Fire was burning through her veins, spreading with every compression against her broken ribs. She could feel someone counting as they compressed, and then felt cold lips pressing against hers, breathing life into her body.

With a horrific wrenching spasm, she felt her heart begin to beat on its own again. Thump…. Thump… thump thump… thump thump… The person paused, gasping in surprise as they heard it as well. With every beat, the fire spread further, igniting her flesh. She wanted to scream, but she felt as if she were still paralyzed, as if rigor mortis had set in and not yet dissipated.

"You did it! I can hear her heart! It's weak, but steady," a voice said in wonder. "Alice, can you see? Is she going to be okay?"

"I can't see anything," came the high-pitched, pixie's voice, sounding panicked. "The wolves are still in the way!"

She was distracted by their voices when she felt Marcus' bond re-imbed itself within her, burrowing its way through her mangled body. It seemed stronger and clearer now and through it, she could feel the shock, joy, and disbelief emanating from her mate. How she longed to see him once more… just the thought of his cool skin against her inflamed flesh brought her relief.

She tried to reach for him and felt a magnetic pull growing stronger, as if he were getting closer and she could sense his proximity to her. She was distracted as she felt the burning spreading further through her body, setting every nerve on fire. She could feel her flesh knitting back together in every agonizing cell.

There was a scream, snarling, and then the grating sound of immortal flesh grinding against itself. An odd snapping sound, another scream, and then the sound of a fire crackling with a sickly-sweet smoke emitting from it.

And then, finally, the sound that brought an unwavering wave of calm over her.

"Beloved," his voice said. She wished she could open her eyes, but it felt as if she had been cemented in place. His voice sounded like it would break if it could. "Anna, meus amor, please, open your eyes for me…"

"Anna!" The voice of her sister brought another wave of relief, fighting desperately against the tide of pain that continued to engulf her. "Oh god, Anna, what have they done to her?"

"She is changing," she heard Marcus' voice, full of both horror and awe.

"Those monsters did this to her? You said she died!"

"She did die, I felt it… one of the Cullens must have bitten her to try and save her."

Dora said nothing and she felt a cool hand gently ghost over her own, as if to reassure the other person that Anna was real and alive. The stimulation against her raw nerves caused a full body shudder to travel through Anna, jostling her injuries and increasing the pain coursing through her. She tried to focus on their reassuring voices, but she was once more lost in the pain.

She didn't know how long she drifted. It felt like her entire world had narrowed down to only agony, as if nothing else existed. Occasionally the voices of her mate or sisters broke through, and once she heard the voice of Caius, although she wasn't sure if it were merely a figment of her traumatized brain.

"Sorellina… it will be over soon, I promise. And then you will have an eternity with your mate. You have done well… we are all so proud of you."

Eventually, the burning seemed to lessen infinitesimally. She could feel even the slightest change on her over-sensitive flesh and she clung to it. Would it finally be over? It felt as if it had been an eternity since she had been burning, as if that pain was all that was left of the world.

"It will be soon, Marcus. It is almost over. Look how beautiful she is," she heard her sister's voice say in awe. "We will leave you two alone so she is not overwhelmed when she awakens. It is best if you are the first thing she sees."

Slowly, but consistently, the burning lessened. Starting in her fingertips, the relief spread throughout her body. With every second, she felt her skin cooling. Meanwhile, her abused heart struggled away, pumping the fire through her veins, a little weaker each time.

Thump thump… thump thump… thump… thump… thump…

Her heart stilled for one final time. The burning ceased all at once, as if it had never engulfed her in the first place. Her thinking felt clearer, faster,  _better._ She could feel every molecule of dried blood on her, could feel the slightly uneven ground beneath her, could smell a hundred different scents on the slight wind beneath her nose, a foul scent like a wet dog, the oversweet incense-like smoke wafting from somewhere south of them, the musty fragrance of the forest, a meadow of wildflowers in bloom, and a mouth-watering rich scent that called to a burning in her throat.

Her eyes flashed open.

* * *

Glossary:

Athanatoi: Greek, literally meaning "not dying." The Greeks differentiated the gods from humans only in whether they were mortal or not, which probably explains a lot about why the Volturi have such a high opinion of themselves. By their definition, they are literally gods.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I'm on my knees, begging for your mercy. I'm sorry! I know I have a lot to answer for - killing Anna off and then disappearing for months… I'm surprised I'm still standing with the weight of my own sins. I hope you all can forgive me. 
> 
> I know the last chapter was a little rough and there was a lot of skepticism but I DID promise you a HEA and a HEA I will give you… eventually. I have the next chapter almost entirely written and a sequel has been brewing for a few months now, although that might take a while longer. Either way, I hope this chapter provides some relief!


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